Potter Twins 2 - The Chamber of Secrets (Complete)
by APhantasm
Summary: This is the sequel to my Potter Twins 1: The Key and the Stone. While not required you should read the first story as somethings will make more sense. This is an A/U story set during Chamber of Secrets.
1. Chapter 1: Summer

**Synopsis: **This is the sequel to my Potter Twins 1: The Key and the Stone. While not required you should read the first story as somethings will make more sense.

This is an A/U story set during Chamber of Secrets.

Not all characters from Buffy will appear in this series, such as Anya - I actually don't like her much. Faith and Wesley were seen briefly in the last story.

**Disclaimer: **This is the only time I will mention it, as I don't want to have to repeat myself every time I add a chapter. I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Harry Potter. Buffy is owned by Joss Whedon and Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling.

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**Chapter 1: Summer**

Voldemort walked down the streets of Diagon Alley. No one recognized him of course, no could as he now shared the body with that of a 12 year old girl. He turned down Knockturn Alley and entered Borgin and Burkes. He looked at the proprietor and smiled as the man asked. "Can I help you miss…..?"

Voldemort smiled, "You can address me as the Dark Lord."

The man shook his head, "Excuse me?"

Voldemort grabbed the man's left arm and touched the girl's wand to the man's skin causing the dark mark to appear. The man looked afraid, he knew only the Dark Lord could make the Dark Mark appear. "My Lord, forgive me. I did not recognize you."

"That is fine; I didn't expect you to, since I have to share this body. Anyways I want the book I left with you all those years ago. I have a plan. Also tell me where I can find Lucius Malfoy," Voldemort replied.

A voice came from behind Voldemort, "He is behind you, Miss…." The proprietor held up his arm to show Lucius the dark mark. Lucious Malfoy stared at the dark mark on the proprietor's arm. He knew what it meant for it to appear, that Voldemort wanted something. He also knew that Voldemort was the only one who could make it appear, which meant that the dark lord had to be sharing this girl's body for it to appear. "My Lord, how can I be of assistance?"

Voldemort smiled at Lucius Malfoy and motioned for him to come closer, "With the help of this book I shall be able to return in my own body. I want you to find a way to give the diary to Ginny Weasley. I will send you an owl when the Weasley's intend to buy their school supplies for the coming year. That will be I believe the best time to give it to her."

Lucius nodded as he took the book out of the girl's hands, "Yes, My Lord."

Voldemort turned to leave, "Now I must get back before the girl's parents wonder where she has gotten off to."

**Potter's House – End of July**

Buffy and Harry sat on the front porch watching as Ron and Willow came up the steps, Not far behind them was Ginny, Fred, George, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were carrying several packages and went on into the house as the others sat next to Harry and Buffy on the porch.

Ron was the first to speak up, "So Harry how does it feel to have a real birthday party."

"Well I will tell you after it's over. But I can tell you this having family who wants to celebrate it with you is a wonderful change. It doesn't hurt to have a sister that is turning 12 the same day you are either." Harry replied.

Buffy hopped up as she saw Hermione with her parents, she ran to the girl giving her a hug, "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Granger. My mom is in the kitchen with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Dawn. You can put the presents in the living room."

"Thank you, dear. So you must be Buffy. Hermione has told us a lot about you and Harry. She has told us plenty of times she considers you, Harry, Ron and Willow her best friends." Mr. Granger said just before they went inside, leaving their daughter to be thoroughly embarrassed.

Hermione shook her head, "So I gather your Aunt and Uncle likely aren't coming."

The twins simply nodded. "Of course not," they both said at the same time.

"I wouldn't invite them if they were the last people on the planet. Just go ask, mom, she'll tell you what their like. She met them when we were in Diagon Alley last summer getting our school supplies. They make Malfoy look like a saint." Harry stated.

It was at that time that they were called in for lunch. Joyce had magically altered the dining table so that it could fit all those assembled. The group talked about many things, including returning to Hogwarts in a month. After lunch, the Granger's helped Joyce clean the table while Mr. and Mrs. Weasley brought out the birthday cake and set it on the table. It was larger than anything Harry had seen in his life, larger than any his cousin Dudley had gotten. When the Grangers and Joyce returned to the Dining Room, everyone gathered round and sang 'Happy Birthday' to Harry and Buffy. "Make a wish you two, and blow out the candles." Joyce said.

Harry and Buffy looked at each and smiled as Harry spoke up, "I think Buffy can agree with me that we got our wish, last year. My wish had always been to have friends and a loving family. Something I never got at the Dursley's house. But now I have all that and I couldn't be happier. So I already have my wish."

Buffy nodded in agreement as they blew out the candles.

Later that night after everyone had gone home. Harry, Buffy and Dawn sat in Buffy and Dawn's room talking about the day when they heard a sudden crack and noticed a house elf standing next to them. Dawn was the first one to notice the elf, "Who are you?"

"I am Dobby, Miss Dawn." Dobby replied.

Dawn looked at Harry and Buffy and noticed them frowning, "So what are you doing here, Dobby?"

"I am here to warn you, not to return to Hogwarts."

Buffy stood up at that, "Why should we not go back? We have to go back, school starts in a month."

"No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Harry and Isabella Potter and Miss Dawn must stay where they are safe. You are too great, too good, to lose. If Harry and Isabella Potter, and Miss Dawn goes back to Hogwarts, you will be in mortal danger."

"Why?" said Harry in surprise.

"There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of

Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry and Isabella Potter, and Miss Dawn must not put themselves in peril. They are too important, sir!"

"What terrible things?" said Dawn at once. "Who's plotting them?"

Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall.

"All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell us. We understand. But why are you warning us?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. "Hang on — this hasn't got anything to do with Voldemort do it?"

Dobby flinches at the use of Voldemort's name but didn't answer the question, "You cannot go back. Please take my warning and don't go back." With a crack Dobby vanishes.

Harry looked at his sisters and shook his head. He bid goodnight to Buffy and Dawn and went on to bed.

The day after the party a knock came at the door, Buffy went to answer it. She saw it was a tall man wearing glasses and a muggle suit. "Yes can I help you?" Buffy asked.

The man smiled, "Are you by chance Isabella Potter?"

Buffy gulped calling for Joyce before nodding. "Yes."

Joyce stepped up behind her and looked at the man, "Good day sir, can I ask what you want with my daughter?"

The man smiled, "It would be best if we talked about this inside."

Joyce hand slipped to her wand as she nodded. The motion of her hand did not go unnoticed by the man. "You won't need your wand, Mrs. Summers," the man said.

Joyce looked at Buffy for a moment and then they showed the man into the living room, "Sorry about the mess. Buffy and Harry had their birthday party yesterday and we haven't cleaned up yet."

The man nodded, "That's quite alright. Now let me introduce myself. I am Rupert Giles."

Joyce blinked, "Rupert Giles, I've heard of you. You were I think a year ahead of my brother at Hogwarts."

Giles nods, "James Potter, yes I remember him, my condolences by the way. I was sad to hear when he and his wife passed away. Anyways the reason I am calling today is because Isabella here has been called."

Buffy blinked and frowned, "You mean I'm a Slayer?"

Joyce looked at her daughter and tried to remember the origin of the word. Then it clicked, the young woman who protected Dawn last year had been a Slayer. "I thought there could only be one Slayer at a time. Isn't that what you told me, Buffy?"

Buffy nods and looks to Joyce, "It's true." She turns and looks at Giles, "So does that mean Faith is dead?"

Giles laughs and shakes his head, "That is a long story. A few years ago Faith drowned and was resuscitated by a friend of hers, Xander Harris. Technically she was dead for less than a minute. But it was long enough for a new slayer to be called. Kendra was that new slayer; she died recently at the time you were called. It took us some time to locate you. This house is shielded isn't?"

Joyce nods, "Yes it is, it's so that Buffy and Harry can be protected from He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named. So you were saying Buffy is a Slayer now?"

"Yes, the Watcher's Council sent me to train Isabella. By the way why do you call her Buffy?" Giles said.

Buffy laughed, "Because that's my name. Haven't gone by Isabella since I was about a year old. Mom changed my name when she adopted me after my birth parents died."

Giles nods, "Ah! Then I will endeavor to call you Buffy. Anyways I was sent to train you. Seeing how your only 12 years old, the Council decided you should get training before your put out in the field. Normally that would mean taking you out of your home to a Council facility. But I am going to go against Council policy, since you are also a witch. I feel being trained as both will increase your potential as a Slayer."

Joyce obviously didn't like it one bit. She had heard about the Slayer from Buffy and knew that they were destined to die young and fight demons and vampires, and the like. But she knew that her daughter would want the training anyways, and would want to do what was right. "Very well, I have my objections of course - what parent wouldn't. But I know Buffy she will want to do this if it meant protecting the people she loves. I would suggest you contact Dumbledore though."

Giles laughs and nods, "One step ahead of you. I already sorted all this out with him."

As the days went by Giles trained Buffy. Harry and Dawn had joined in on the training sessions, they had been adamant about training and nothing Joyce or Giles said could change their minds. And so Giles set up a training regimen for all 3 children.

It was while one such training session that an owl flew in dropping 3 envelopes. The each grabbed the envelopes and opened them. Dawn blinked as she read hers and showed it to Buffy and Harry.

_Miss Dawn Summers,_

_It is our privilege let you know due to your outstanding scores from the previous year that you will be allowed in second year classes this coming term, instead of first year classes with others your age. _

_Enclosed is a list of what you will need for your second year._

_I would personally like to say congratulations as your now officially the youngest student to come to Hogwarts._

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry_

Harry and Buffy hugged Dawn and smiled at the girl. "Good going, Dawnie. I knew you could do it." Buffy said.

Joyce walked in from the kitchen and looked at the three children before Dawn handed her the letter. "Dawn that's wonderful. I will have to get you something special from Diagon Alley when we go to pick up your supplies. Which will be tomorrow, I just talked to Molly through the fireplace. She said they got their letters also and would be going to Diagon Alley tomorrow to pick up supplies."

Buffy and Harry looked at each other and smiled, "Mom we would like to do something for Dawn too."

Buffy and Harry pulled Joyce aside so that Dawn couldn't hear. "We want to open up an account for Dawn. Between the two of us we have more money at Gringotts than we really could need, and would like to give her some." Buffy whispered.

Joyce looked at the twins, "Are you sure this is something you want to do?" The twins nodded. "Very well," Joyce said.

The next day when they, along with the Weasleys and the Grangers, arrived in Diagon Alley. Buffy and Harry made an excuse of having to use the bathroom. They made their way to Gringotts. They stepped up to a counter, "We would like to open an account for our cousin, taking some of the money out of our accounts and putting it into hers." Buffy said.

The goblin at the counter nodded, "You have your keys?" They nodded holding them up as the Goblin continued, "Very well. Who are you opening an account for?"

Buffy looked at Harry and smiled, "Dawn Marie Summers."

The goblin nodded and pulled out some paperwork which he filled in, "If you will sign here as the owners of the vaults your tranfering money out of. We can get it setup now."

They signed the paperwork and were handed a key and left.

Stopped in front of Flourish and Blotts and noticed a sign mentioning Gilderoy Lockhart was signing copies of his autobiography that day. They stepped into Flourish and Blotts to find a long line, "Oh you got to be kidding me, all this to see some idiot." Buffy said.

The twins were motioned to where Molly Weasley stood with her children, Hermione and Dawn. Buffy could see that they looked to infatuated with Lockhart.

A man holding a camera pushed past Buffy and Harry as they frowned. "How rude can someone be?" Harry asked.

The photographer paid them no mind, "Make way there. Please! Let me by, madam. Thank you. Excuse me, little girl. This is for the _Daily Prophet."_

Buffy and Harry suddenly felt as if someone were watching them. They looked around and then noticed Lockhart was staring at them, "It can't be – Harry and Isabella Potter? "

The photographer grasped ahold of Harry and Buffy and moved them around the table to stand next to Lockhart. "Nice big smile, Harry, Isabella. Together the both of you and I rate the front page! Ladies and gentlemen, what an extraordinary moment this is. When young Harry and Isabella stepped into Flourish and Blotts this morning to purchase my autobiography, _Magical Me_,... which, incidentally is currently celebrating its 27th week atop the _Daily Prophet _bestseller list, he had no idea that he would, in fact, be leaving... with my entire collected works, free of charge."

The twins stood there for a moment as books were stuffed into their waiting arms. They walked over to Molly who took the books from the twins. "Harry, Isabella, now you give me those, and I'll get them signed. All of you wait outside."

The group made their way towards the door as Buffy frowned, "Of all the idiots in the world. That guy just ticks me off."

They spotted Draco standing next to his father. "I'll bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter? Famous Harry and Isabella Potter! Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page.

Buffy balled up her fists and hit Draco in the stomach. "You're an arrogant git."

Draco simply growled at Buffy as his father pushed him aside. "Now, now Draco, play nicely. Mr. Potter, Ms. Potter... Lucius Malfoy. We meet at last. Forgive me, your scars are legend, as, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you."

Harry shook with rage, "Voldemort killed our parents. He was nothing more than a murderer."

Lucius dismissed it and while they had their attention on his face they didn't notice when he slipped a black book into the cauldron Ginny was holding. "Hmm. You must be very brave, to mention his name...or very foolish. Regardless, Draco we must be off."

Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Joyce and smiled as they made their way out of the store. Joyce handed Dawn a carrier, "I know you didn't get a pet last year. And since Harry and Buffy both have owls. I thought you would like a cat instead."

Dawn looked in the carrier and smiled, "I think I will call her Joy. Thanks, mom."

Joyce smiled and nodded, "I think Buffy and Harry have something for you also."

Dawn turned to face Buffy and Harry as they handed her an envelope. She opened it to find a single solitary key. She looked at them, "What's this for?"

Buffy smiled, "Well you have your own account now at Gringotts. Me and Harry gave you a share of what's in our vaults."

Dawn looked at the key for a moment, "You didn't have to."

"I know we didn't but we wanted to." Harry said.

Dawn blushed as she hugged the twins.

* * *

**Author Notes: **Buffy was actually called at the end of the last story. I had planned on revealing it in that story and didn't get a chance. Which btw the way she was called was not how I was originally planning it. I wanted her called as part of the deal with the First, much like you see in the BTVS series finale. As I wrote the ending I changed my mind at the last minute, part of my reasoning for changing it is because I'm thinking of using the First in some part in year 5 or 6.


	2. Chapter 2: Hogwarts

**Chapter 2: Hogwarts**

Joyce, Harry, Buffy, and Dawn arrived early on September 1st at the Weasley's home. They were to be going together with the Weasleys' and Hermione to the train station from there. They waited patiently while Molly and Arthur Weasley argued about a car that they owned.

Buffy had grown tired of waiting and stood up, "Mom can we just Floo to the Leaky Cauldron and get a taxi from there to King's Cross?"

Joyce sighed and looked at Molly and Arthur as they noticed the time. They gathered everyone and told them to make sure they had everything and to get in the car. After a couple false starts, they had to stop twice and go back and get stuff that Ginny and George had forgotten, they managed to get to King's Cross station with minutes to spare.

"Percy first," said Molly Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.

Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed, followed by Hermione and Willow.

"I'll take Ginny and then Harry and Ron come right after us. Then Buffy your after them, and Joyce and Dawn after that," Mrs. Weasley said, grabbing Ginny's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone.

Harry took a run at the wall and slammed his trolly into it hard. He noticed several people looking at him and made an excuse of misaligned wheels before returning to Joyce, "I don't understand we still got a couple minutes but I couldn't get through."

Joyce walked up to the barrier and leaned against it trying to push through. "That's odd. It shouldn't be closed, Dawn why don't you try."

Dawn walked up to the wall and leaned against it and try as she might was unable to pass through the barrier. She walked back to Joyce, Harry, and Buffy, "I can't get through either."

Joyce frowned and shook her head and looked up at the clock, "Well the train just left, let's go back to the car and wait for Molly and Arthur. Once they come back we will Floo Dumbledore and let him know."

10 minutes later Molly and Arthur Weasley walked back to their car, "Joyce what's going on, how come you guys didn't come through the barrier?" Molly asked.

Joyce sighed and looked at Molly and Arthur, "Well it's like this. Harry tried going through the barrier and he hit a solid wall. I tried going through it and it felt solid to me as well. Then I asked Dawn to try and she couldn't get through either."

Molly shook her head, "That's weird we just came through it just fine. Let's return to the Burrow and we will Floo Dumbledore."

A bit later Joyce, Molly, Arthur, Ron, Harry, Buffy, and Dawn sat in the kitchen as Dumbledore appeared out of the fireplace. "Afternoon everyone, now what is this about missing the train?"

Harry told how he had tried to get through the barrier, followed by Joyce's attempt and finally Dawn's. They then said that after they had left to wait by Molly and Arthur's car that Molly and Arthur had been able to pass through it just fine.

"That is weird; the barrier isn't supposed stop people from going through for 15 minutes after the train leaves. That way parents seeing their children off can get back out. Something must have intentionally stopped you. I will contact the Ministry and have them check why you couldn't get through. Now we should be getting you three to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said.

Buffy looked at everyone, before finally looking at Dumbledore. "So how are we getting to Hogwarts? We can't Floo with our trunks. And Side-Along Apparation isn't possible with so many of us."

Dumbledore smiled and pulled out a rope out of his pocket, "_Portus_. There now everyone going will grab the rope. I would suggest tying the trunks together so that they don't get left behind. Then we will take this portkey straight to Hogwarts."

Buffy looked at Dawn and smiled as they got ready to go as Ron and Harry did the same. Then they bid Joyce, Molly and Arthur goodbye and grabbed the rope. In an instant they were at Hogwarts.

Dumbledore led them to the Gryffindor Tower, "Get settled in. The train should be here in about three hours. I will see you three at the feast."

A few hours later they were sitting at the Gryffindor table as McGonagall called out name of First Years being sorted. They had been telling everyone what had happened with the barrier when they heard McGonagall call out, "Weasley, Ginevra."

Buffy looked up and waved at Ginny as she sat on the stool. A moment later the Sorting Hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR."

Ginny was excited as she rushed over to sit in between Ron and Willow.

After all the first years were sorted and the feast started. Buffy looked towards the high table and noticed that Giles was sitting up there. "Excuse me for a moment, guys." She walked to the table and looked at Giles, "What are you doing here?"

Giles smiled as he stood up and motioned her away from the others at the table, "Officially I'm the new assistant librarian. Unofficially we still have to keep up on your training; you are a Slayer after all. I set it all up with Dumbledore, he set aside a spare classroom for me to train you in. You of course can bring Harry and Dawn also, if they want to continue to train with you. Now why don't you go back and get something to eat and we will talk about this more tomorrow."

Buffy nodded and headed back to her spot at the Gryffindor table.

Voldemort looked over the group smiling, his plan was working. The Weasley girl had his diary. With the help of the portion of his soul trapped in the diary he would be able to come back.

It was the end of the second week, and Buffy sat on the Quidditch Pitch waiting her turn. Oliver Wood had put up a notice the week before that they would be holding tryouts for a Chaser as one of the students who had been a Chaser had graduated the year before.

Buffy had spent the last two weeks practicing quidditch and just improving her flying skills with Harry. She waved to her brother as her name was finally called.

She grabbed her broom, she had bought during their trip to Diagon Alley during the summer, and flew up beside Harry who gave a pat on the back, "Good Luck, Buffy."

Buffy smiled and then was off, with her Slayer reflexes she managed to score more points than anyone else who had tried out. Oliver was smiling and nodded, "I think we have our new Chaser, Isabella Potter. Everyone else thank you for trying out and better luck next time."

Buffy stayed in the air for a few moments before landing next to her brother who hugged her tightly. "I know you could do it, Buffy." Harry said. "Hey Wood you know this is becoming a family sport don't you? Two Potters and Two Weasley's out of all 7 players. Two families make up half the team, now."

Buffy blushed as Oliver nodded, "Ok practice will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings after classes, as well as Saturday Afternoons. Except on a Hogsmeade weekend, when there will be no practice."

Buffy sighed. She couldn't wait till she was a third year student and was allowed to go to Hogsmeade.

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**Author Notes: **This is short, compared to the last chapter, I know and I apologize. I was having a little trouble on what to write. I wish I had a Beta at times like this, someone I could toss ideas back and forth with.


	3. Chapter 3: Gilderoy Lockhart

**Chapter 3: Gilderoy Lockhart**

Buffy, Harry, Ron, Willow, and Hermione made their way to Gilderoy Lockhart's classroom for Defense of the Dark Arts. Buffy looked to Willow and Hermione and frowned seeing the look of lust on their faces for the teacher. "Would you two quit day dreaming about that idiot."

Hermione looked at Buffy and frowned, "He is not an idiot, and he is amazing person."

Willow nodded in agreement as they entered the classroom and sat down.

Lockhart cleared his throat loudly and silence fell. He reached forward, picked up Neville Longbottom's copy of _Travels with Trolls _, and held it up to show his own, winking portrait on the front.

"Me," Lockhart said, pointing at it and winking as well. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of _Witch Weekly _'s Most Charming Smile Award but I don't talk about that. I didn't get rid of the Bandon Banshee by _smiling _at her!"

Buffy didn't pay attention to Lockhart as she watched Hermione and Willow faun over the man.

"I see you've all bought a complete set of my books — well done. I thought we'd start today with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about — just to check how well you've read them, how much you've taken in —" Lockhart said.

Buffy muttered under her breath, "Just get on with the lesson." She then looked at the quiz her handed her, "Professor what do these questions have to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

Lockhart didn't answer her as he finished handing out the quizzes. "You have thirty minutes — start — _now _!"

Buffy looked down at her paper and read:

1. What is Gilderoy Lockhart 's favorite color?

Buffy wrote, "Who cares, What does this have to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

2. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition?

Buffy wrote, "You really are full of yourself aren't you. I don't see what this has to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts."

3. What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date?

Buffy wrote, "You cares what an idiot does. Seriously none of this has to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts."

On and on it went, over three sides of paper, right down to:

_54. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday, and what would his ideal gift be?_

Buffy wrote, "Ideal gift, I know what my ideal gift would be. To not have an idiot for a professor."

Half an hour later, Lockhart collected the papers and rifled through them in front of the class.

"Tut, tut — hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in _Year with the Yeti _. And a few of you need to read _Wanderings with Werewolves _more carefully — I clearly state in chapter twelve that my ideal birthday gift would be harmony between all magic and non-magic peoples — though I wouldn't say no to a large bottle of Ogdeds Old Firewhisky!" Lockhart said.

Lockhart gave them another roguish wink. Ron was now staring at Lockhart with an expression of disbelief on his face; Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who were sitting in front, were shaking with silent laughter. Hermione, on the other hand, was listening to Lockhart with rapt attention and gave a start when he mentioned her name.

Lockhart smiled, "…but Miss Hermione Granger knew my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and market my own range of hair-care potions — good girl! In fact" — he flipped her paper over — "full marks! Where is Miss Hermione Granger?"

Hermione raised a trembling hand.

"Excellent!" beamed Lockhart. "Quite excellent! Take ten points for Gryffindor! And so — to

business —"

Lockhart then came to Buffy's paper and frowned, "Where is Isabella Potter?"

Buffy stood up, "Right here."

Lockhart shook his head, "Detention, Miss Potter. Really some of the things you wrote down are downright rude. I should show this to the Headmaster, but I won't. You will serve detention tonight in my classroom."

Buffy frowned, "I have Quidditch practice tonight, Professor."

Lockhart shook his head, "Not tonight you don't."

Buffy sighed and sat down. Harry leaned over to her, "Why did you have to egg him on, Bells?"

Buffy glared at her brother and didn't respond.

Lockhart bent down behind his desk and lifted a large, covered cage onto it. "Now — be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm."

In spite of himself, Harry leaned around his pile of books for a better look at the cage. Lockhart placed a hand on the cover. Dean and Seamus had stopped laughing now. Neville was cowering in his front row seat.

"I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."

As the whole class held its breath, Lockhart whipped off the cover. "Yes," he said dramatically. _"Freshly caught Cornish pixies."_

Seamus Finnigan couldn't control himself. He let out a snort of laughter that even Lockhart couldn't mistake for a scream of terror.

"Yes?" Lockhart smiled at Seamus.

"Well, they're not — they're not very — _dangerous _, are they?" Seamus choked.

"Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!"

The pixies were electric blue and about eight inches high, with pointed faces and voices so shrill it was like listening to a lot of budgies arguing. The moment the cover had been removed, they had started jabbering and rocketing around, rattling the bars and making bizarre faces at the people nearest them.

"Right, then," Lockhart said loudly. "Let's see what you make of them!" And he opened the cage.

It was pandemonium. The pixies shot in every direction like rockets. Two of them seized Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. Several shot straight through the window, showering the back row with broken glass. The rest proceeded to wreck the classroom more effectively than a rampaging rhino.

They grabbed ink bottles and sprayed the class with them, shredded books and papers, tore pictures from the walls, up-ended the waste basket, grabbed bags and books and threw them out of the smashed window; within minutes, half the class was sheltering under desks and Neville was swinging from the iron chandelier in the ceiling.

"Come on now — round them up, round them up, they're only pixies," Lockhart shouted.

He rolled up his sleeves, brandished his wand, and bellowed, " _Peskipiksi Pesternomi!_"

It had absolutely no effect; one of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window, too.

Lockhart gulped and dived under his own desk, narrowly avoiding being squashed by Neville, who fell a second later as the chandelier gave way.

The bell rang and there was a mad rush toward the exit. In the relative calm that followed, Lockhart straightened up, caught sight of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were almost at the door, and said, "Well, I'll ask you five" Lockhart pointed at Buffy, Harry, Ron, Willow and Hermione, "to just nip the rest of them back into their cage."

Lockhart swept past them and shut the door quickly behind him.

"Can you _believe _him?" roared Ron as one of the remaining pixies bit him painfully on the ear.

"He just wants to give us some hands-on experience," said Hermione, immobilizing two pixies at once with a clever Freezing Charm and stuffing them back into their cage.

" _Hands on_? "said Harry, who was trying to grab a pixie dancing out of reach with its tongue out.

"Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing —"

"Rubbish," said Hermione. "You've read his books — look at all those amazing things he's done —"

"He _says _he's done," Ron muttered.

Buffy laughed, "You do know he probably embellished a little don't you. I read through those books only because they were for this class. While I will admit some of it seems plausible, I bet you there is a lot of embellishment in those books. And I don't care if I get expelled, I am not going to his detention. I will go straight to Dumbledore first."

Harry looked at Buffy, "About that Buffy why did you tell him we had Quidditch practice tonight?"

Buffy whispered so only Harry could hear, "Because the truth is something I'm not supposed to tell him, remember. Only you, Dawn, Giles and Dumbledore know about the training sessions with Giles."

Harry nodded as Buffy left heading to Dumbledore's office. She gave the password to the statue and entered the office. Dumbledore looked up and nodded, "Miss Potter how nice it is to see you. How is your training sessions going?"

Buffy smiled, "Their going fine, Professor. The reason I came today was about Professor Lockhart."

Buffy handed him her quiz, she had snatched it when Lockhart had made a hasty retreat during the Pixie feasco, "I wanted you to see the quiz he gave us today. Forgive my answers but I was rather ticked off we had that quiz that has nothing to do with the subject of the class he is teaching, which btw I have a detention for."

Dumbledore laughed as he read her answers, "While I understand why you wrote what you wrote. You do need to try and respect the professors even if you don't agree with their teaching methods. I will talk to Professor Lockhart about this quiz though. I assume he wanted your detention tonight?"

Buffy nodded, "Yes, Professor."

Dumbledore smiles, "You will do it tomorrow then during Quidditch practice. That way your training session is not interrupted."

Buffy smiles as she bows, "Thank you, Professor." She then turns and leaves Dumbledore's office.


	4. Chapter 4: Halloween

**Chapter 4: Halloween**

Buffy woke up the morning of Halloween excited. She had always loved the holiday since she was old enough to go trick or treating. This year though like last year she wouldn't be able to go trick or treating as it was not something the wizarding world did. Still she was excited as the day had fallen on a Saturday this year and was looking forward to spending time with her friends.

Buffy had even managed to talk Professor McGonagall into allowing her to carve a pumpkin, something she always liked to do, as long as it was done in the Professor's office with her supervising.

Buffy shook her head, "I dunno, I was going for ferocious scary, but it's coming out more dryly sardonic."

Willow smiles, "It does appear to be mocking you with its eye-holes."

Ron smirked, "Yet its nose-hole seems sad and full of self-loathing."

Buffy laughed, "What do you think, Harry?"

Harry, pensive, lying on his side. His hand is feeling around in the bowl of pumpkin pulp. "Just thinking about the life of a pumpkin. Grow up in the sun, happily entwined with others… Then somebody comes along, cuts you open and rips your guts out."

Harry pulls out a handful of pulp. The others warily share a look.

Buffy pokes her brother. "I know you never had a good Halloween living with our aunt and uncle. So I plan to make it up to you, Harry. Don't know how yet but I will."

Harry smiles, "Thanks, Bells."

Buffy had long since gotten used to the nickname and no longer cared if Harry called her Bells, Buffy or even Isabella.

Willow smiles, "Hey aren't we doing the Ravenclaw's thing?"

Buffy looked to Willow, "What thing?"

Harry smiled, "The scary house? It sounds a little lame. I mean come on we know vampires, werewolves, and such exist."

Ron nods, "It actually borders on fun. You have to go through the whole scary house

maze to get to the party, I hear their having the party in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

Buffy sighed, "Who would want to party in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I mean no offense to Moaning Myrtle but that's not someplace I would think of having a party."

They looked at Professor McGonagall who shrugged, "I'm not ruining the surprise. And yes I did approve of them using that lavatory, with Myrtle's permission."

Buffy finishes the pumpkin and hands the knife to Professor McGonagall, "Thanks Professor for letting me carve this. It's something I missed doing since I haven't been able to participate in a muggle Halloween now in two years."

Professor McGonagall smiled, "It's quite alright. You all run along back to your common room and get changed, I believe the Halloween Feast will be starting shortly."

The group nodded and left the professor's office.

Willow nodded, "So we on for the Ravenclaw's party?"

Ron nodded, "A blast will be had by all."

Buffy looks to Harry who finally relents, "Ok."

Buffy smiles, "I'll join you all in a bit, I have to stop by the library."

Harry nods as he knows she is going to talk to Giles.

Buffy walks casually along the corridor towards the library, lost in thought. A gentle wind blows through the corridor causing her to look up. She sees Dawn and Harry standing in front of her. "Dang guys you gave me quite a scare there. Harry how did you get ahead of me?"

Harry looks Buffy, she can see his eyes look vacant and lifeless, "You didn't protect us Buffy. Why didn't you protect us? How could you let us die?"

Dawn looks up her eyes are just as vacant and lifeless as Harry's, "You let me die, why Buffy. I thought we were sisters, and you let me die."

Buffy shook her head to clear it when she looked back she saw Dawn and Harry were gone.

Buffy stands there waiting as if for someone to jump out and tell her it was all a Halloween joke. A moment later Giles literally bumps in to her, "There you are Buffy, I thought you were going to meet me in the library?"

Buffy looks up at her watcher, "Giles, I think my mind is playing tricks on me. I just saw Dawn and Harry, dead."

Giles looks at Buffy worried.

Buffy shakes her head, "I'm sure it was just my mind playing tricks on me, or Harry and Dawn's idea of an elaborate Halloween joke. I'm sure their likely back in the common room laughing right now."

Giles nods looking reassured, "What was it you wanted to see me for anyways?"

Buffy smiles, "Oh I was just wondering do vampires and demons and what not come out on Halloween. I would think this would be a prime time for them cause they could blend in as people would think they are simply wearing masks."

Giles shakes his head, "I promise you, there's little chance of any supernatural activity tonight. Halloween actually is been a day when the forces of darkness stay inside. I don't really know why, but tonight is like dead for them."

Buffy looks disappointed.

In Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, Myrtle watches as her bathroom gets decorated for Halloween.

She sees Dawn standing near a makeshift stage.

Edward smiles at Dawn, "So you're singing tonight, right?"

Dawn sighs, "I would love to know how everyone learned I have a good signing voice, I don't really like to sing that much."

Edward shrugs as he looks at the symbol that Josh painted on the floor, "That looks cool don't ya think?"

Dawn nods, "Anyways if I have to sing I guess I ought to go change."

Dawn walks out of the bathroom and towards the Gryffindor common room. She almost reaches the portrait hole when Glory steps out in front of her, "Ah my Key. Now it's time for me to go home."

Dawn lets out a scream as Buffy and Giles come up behind her, ""Dawnie what's wrong?" Buffy asks.

Dawn turns and buries her face in Buffy's robes, "I saw Glory."

Buffy frowns as she looks at Giles, "Something is definitely going on here. First I see… well you know and now she sees Glory, who to our knowledge is dead."

Giles nods, "Do you think you can get her back to your common room. I will go back to the library and see what I can find out about manifestation of fears."

Buffy nods and leads Dawn back towards the common room.

Josh and Rachel are in the bathroom, Rachel's eyes are blindfolded as she is reaching in to bowls of spaghetti, a cauliflower head, grapes.

Josh smiles, "Okay, Rach. What's in the next one?"

Rachel shakes her head, "You guys are sick. This is so gross!"

Josh smirks, "Here. Give me your hand."

Josh takes Rachel's hand and directs it to the bowl of peeled grapes.

Josh smiles, "They're eyeballs, Rachel! Eyeballs! Ahhahaha!"

They SHRIEK playfully as she lifts her blindfold and brings up a fistful. She looks at it for a beat and her smile melts as she sees a fistful of eyeballs, real eyeballs as she begins to scream.

Buffy and Dawn enter the common room and spot Harry, Ron, Hermione and Willow in front of the fireplace. They turn and see Dawn and Buffy. They can tell Dawn is upset.

Harry gets up off the sofa and walks over to Buffy and Dawn, "What's wrong?"

Buffy shakes her head and whispers, "Not here, upstairs." Harry nods and leads them up the stairs to the boys dormitory. Once their in the second year dormitory, Harry shuts the door and turns to Buffy and Dawn, "What's wrong?"

Buffy sighs as she helps Dawn to sit on Harry's bed, "Something is going on. I saw you and Dawn earlier as if you were both dead just before Giles came looking for me. We heard Dawn scream and when we got there she said she saw Glory. But as far as we know Glory is dead."

Harry nods, "This is weird."

Ron and Hermione comes running in to the dormitory, "Buffy, Mister Giles would like to see you in the Professor Dumbledore's office."

Buffy nods and leaves them to watch over Dawn. Moments later she walks in to the headmaster's office, "Professor, Giles."

Dumbledore nods, "Miss Potter, have a seat. We were just discussing what you and Dawn saw."

Buffy nods, "Any idea what is causing it?"

Giles nods, "I think I may know. One of my books is missing from my private collection. It had information on a fear demon."

Buffy nods, "And I assume you don't know how to stop this without the book?"

Giles nods, "Rightly, so."

Buffy nods, "Then we better get on it, Professor might I suggest that all the students be confined to their dormitories while I search for this book."

Dumbledore shakes his head, "The professors will search for the book, you will go back to your common room as well."

Buffy stands up, "No offense, Professor. But I am the Slayer, even though not fully trained, this is my job."

In the Gryffindor common room Voldemort smiled, his plan was working perfectly. The professors are distracted and the Basilisk will attack its first victim tonight.

- People fleeing in terror as professors try and round up the students. A few, including Josh and Rachel, make it to their common rooms.

- A student lies dead in the corner, blood on her face.

- Two sobbing students, clinging to each other, cowering.

- A Gryffindor student falls over a table in the common room, tipping it. Bowls of very real guts and brains fly off, spill everywhere. Now on the ground, he looks up as a SHADOW envelopes him and he SCREAMS.

Buffy frowns as she makes her way through the castle, Giles walks next to her, "Things are going from bad to worse rather quickly."

Giles nods in agreement.

Buffy spots something on the floor, she kneels and touches it bring her hand up before her eyes.

Giles looks at Buffy, "What is it?"

Buffy sniffs her hand, "Blood. Real blood."

Giles frowns, "This is getting bad."

In the boys dormitory Hermione is next to Dawn trying to comfort her when she hears something, "Do you hear that? Sounds like "squeaking."" Hermione asks.

Ron and Harry looks around before looking at the ceiling. Everyone, including Dawn, follows his gaze. Hanging about three feet above their heads are a cluster of bats. A moment of silence, and the bats descend.

The bats emit high-pitched squeaks as they are set upon. Everyone swats at them, trying to beat them away. One flies into Hermione's hair, she pulls it off and throws it to the ground as the rest fly off. Harry looks at the downed bat, then picks it up.

Hermione looks at Harry, "Harrydon't. It might be-"

Harry frowns, "Rubber. It's made of rubber. But how did it get in here. No decorations for the party were hanged in here."

They all share a look. "What the hell's going on? First Buffy's seeing dead us. Then Dawn sees Glory and now bats that were alive one minute and rubber the next." Harry says.

Buffy and Giles enter Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. They see the painted symbol on the floor, next to Giles missing book.

A Voice comes out of nowhere suddenly, "REEELEEEASE MEEE!"

BAM! BAM! BAM! Loud BANGING and POUNDING fills the room coming from all around them. Things SCURRY within the walls, SCRATCH at the doors.

Giles picks up the book and starts to read it, "Okay. The symbol's called the Mark of Gachnar. This is a summoning spell for something called Gachnar. It appears the spell was triggers and

Gachnar's trying to manifest itself. To come into being."

Buffy nods, "How?"

Giles reading, "It feeds on… fear."

Buffy nods, "That explains why I saw Dawn and Harry as if they were dead and why Dawn saw Glory. It's feeding on our fears. So how do we stop it?"

Giles nods, "I have it: "The summoning spell for Gachnar can be shut down in one of two ways. Destroying the Mark of Gachnar…"

Without warning, Buffy gets down on one knee, punches through the floor, and pries up the splintered floorboards, bisecting the symbol, destroying it.

The SOUNDS abruptly stop. Buffy smiles smugly, pleased with herself. Giles' tone becomes quite peevish.

Giles shakes his head, "… is not one of them and will, in fact, immediately bring forth the Fear Demon, itself."

He looks at the desecrated symbol and glares at Buffy.

A DEEP RUMBLING begins…

Gachnar, the Fear Demon, rising, manifesting itself. It's grotesque, horrifying as it flexes its muscles, feels the power that course through. Suddenly, it hesitates and looks high above him and see's Giles and Buffy standing over it.

Buffy laughs, "This… is Gachnar? Big overture, little show."

Gachnar, ranting and shaking his fist. "I am the Dark Lord of nightmares, the bringer of terror… Tremble before me! Fear me!"

Buffy looks at Giles and smiles, "He's so cute." She turns back to Gachnar, "Who's a little fear demon? C'mon, who's a lit-tle fear demon?"

Giles tries to control his amusement, "Don't taunt the fear demon."

Buffy looks at Giles, "Why? Can he hurt me?"

Giles shakes it's head, "No, it's just… tacky. Be that as it may, Buffy, when it comes to slaying…"

Buffy nods understanding, "Size doesn't matter?"

Gachnar trying to make itself sound intimdating, "They're all going to abandon you, you know."

Buffy smirks, "Yeah, yeah." She brings her foot down squashing Gachnar.

Giles looks back at the book, "Oh, bloody Hell - The inscription!"

Buffy turns to face Giles as she wipes the dead demon off her shoe, "What's the matter?"

Giles laughs, "I should have translated." He shows her the book, "The Gaelic inscription under

the illustration of Gachnar."

Buffy nods, "What's it say?"

Giles smiles, "Actual size."

Buffy laughs, "That's just priceless."

They turn and leave as they turn a corridor they see….

The wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by theflaming torches.

_THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN_

_OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE_

"What's that thing — hanging underneath?" said Buffy.

As they get nearer, Buffy almost slipped — there was a large puddle of water on the floor; Giles grabbed her, and they inched toward the message, eyes fixed on a dark shadow beneath it. Both of them realized what it was at once. Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.

Argus filch came up beside them, "What's going on here? What's going on?" Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror. "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked. And his popping eyes fell on Buffy.

" You!"he screeched. " You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll —"

" Argus!"

Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Buffy and Giles and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

"Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Miss. Potter, Rupert."

Lockhart stepped forward eagerly. "My office is nearest, Headmaster — just upstairs — please feel free —"

"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore.

The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after

Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape.

As they entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Buffy saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her.

Buffy looked to Giles, "It makes me wonder if Gachnar was meant as diversion for this."

Giles nods and motions for her to be quiet.

The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking.

Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile.

And Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions. "It was definitely a curse that killed her — probably the Transmogrifian Torture — I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her.…"

Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. Much as he detested Filch,

Buffy couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him

.

Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his

wand but nothing happened. She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed.

"…I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," said Lockhart, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once.…"

The photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. One of them had forgotten to remove his hair net.

At last Dumbledore straightened up. "She's not dead, Argus," he said softly.

Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.

"Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "But why's she all — all stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore ("Ah! I thought so!" said Lockhart). "But how, I cannot say…"

"Ask _her _!" shrieked Filch, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Buffy.

"No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly. "it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced —"

"She did it, she did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what she wrote on the wall! She found — in my office — she knows I'm a — I'm a —" Filch's face worked horribly. "She knows I'm a Squib!" he finished.

"I never _touched _Mrs. Norris!" Buffy said loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at her, including all the Lockharts on the walls. "And I don't even know what a Squib _is_."

"Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "She saw my Kwikspell letter!"

"If I might speak, Headmaster," said Snape from the shadows, and Buffy's sense of foreboding increased; she was sure nothing Snape had to say was going to do her any good. "Potter may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was she in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't she in her common room to begin with, with the rest of the students?"

Buffy sighed, "Giles I think they should know."

Giles nods, "It's up to you Buffy, but I agree that should be told."

Buffy nods, "I'm the Slayer. Giles here is my Watcher. We were investigating the instances that had the rest of the students confined to their dormitories."

Snape frowned "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if she were deprived of certain privileges until she is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel she should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until she is ready to be honest."

"Really, Severus," said Professor McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason to stop the girl playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."

Giles nods, "I can attest to what Buffy says is true, as can Professor Dumbledore. Till tonight only 5 people in the castle knew of Buffy being the Slayer; myself, Albus, Harry, Dawn, and Buffy herself of course."

Dumbledore was giving Buffy a searching look. His twinkling light-blue gaze made Buffy feel as though she were being X-rayed. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly.

Snape looked furious. So did Filch. "My cat has been Petrified!" he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some _punishment _!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," said Dumbledore patiently. "Professer Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."

"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep —"

"Excuse me," said Snape icily. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

There was a very awkward pause.

"You may go," Dumbledore said to Buffy.

Giles nods, "I will accompany her back to her dormitory."

Buffy and Giles turned and left.

* * *

**Author's Note** - While I don't expect reviews, it would be nice to get some. For reviews tell me that at least someone wants me to continue. Till I start seeing reviews I put the rest of the series on hold. This story will be finished but I won't start on the third story unless I see people are interested by reviewing.


	5. Chapter 5: Quidditch

**Chapter 5: Quidditch**

Buffy woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while thinking about the coming Quidditch match. She was nervous, mainly at the thought of this being her first match, she hoped she didn't let them down today. After half an hour of lying there with her insides churning, she got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where she found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much. She spotted Harry and smiled, he waved and she sat down next to him.

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch

stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron, Hermione, Willow and Dawn came hurrying over to wish Harry and Buffy good luck as they entered the locker rooms. The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk.

"Slytherin has better brooms than us," Oliver began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers…"

"Too true," muttered George Weasley. "I haven't been properly dry since August"

"And we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team." Chest heaving with emotion, Wood turned to Harry and Buffy. "It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to. And Buffy do what you've been doing in practice and we will be sure to win."

"So no pressure, Harry… Buffy." said Fred, winking at them.

As they walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers.

Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.

"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three…two…one…"

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky.

Buffy watched Harry fly up above the rest of them. She turned her attention to the game. Moments later she was heading towards the goal with the quaffle when she saw a bludger heading towards Harry. "Harry watch out." She yelled.

Harry avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed.

"Close one, Harry!" said George, streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin.

Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again. Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head.

Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch past Buffy.

Buffy frowned, "That's been tampered with. There is no way it could do that otherwise."

Harry could hear the Bludger whistling along behind him. To make matters worse it started to rain.

Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course.

"Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed.

Buffy was worried about Harry so much that Slytherin had got the jump on them, soon Slytherin was leading sixty points to ten. The only goal that had been scored was hers.

Buffy frowned, "Wood… we need a time out."

"I have to agree with Buffy," said George, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time.

Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Buffy, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger.

"What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the

crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped

Angelina scoring? Buffy why were you so distracted?"

"We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," said

George angrily. "Someone's fixed it — it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it."

Buffy nods, "I was worried about Harry, that's my only excuse for not scoring anymore. Somehow that bludger has been tampered with."

"But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…" said Wood, anxiously.

Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Harry could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in his direction.

"Listen," said Harry as she came nearer and nearer, "with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one."

"Don't be thick," said Fred. "It'll take your head off."

Buffy shook her head, "Harry, no. Hand me a bludger. I will keep it off Harry."

Harry shook his head, "No, Buffy. Between you and Angelina your our best chance of scoring."

Wood was looking from Harry to Buffy to the Weasleys.

"Oliver, this is insane," said Alicia Spinner angrily. "You can't let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry…"

"If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" said Harry. "And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!"

"This is all your fault," George said angrily to Wood. "`Get the Snitch or die trying,' what a stupid thing to tell him —"

Buffy sighed, "Don't blame this on Wood. Blame it on whoever tampered with that bludger."

Madam Hooch had joined them. "Ready to resume play?" she asked Wood.

Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face. "All right," he said. "Fred, George, Buffy, you heard Harry — leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own. Buffy a moment…"

Buffy nods as the others fly up.

Wood sighed, "Do you think you can do this? He is your brother after all, I know you're going to be worrying about him"

Buffy sighed and nodded, "Yeah I think I can do it."

Wood nodded and they flew up and joined the rest of the team.

Buffy looked to Harry and quietly muttered, "I hope."

A whistling in Harry's ear told him the Bludger had just missed him again; he turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.

"Training for the ballet, Potter?" yelled Malfoy as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy in hatred, he saw it — the Golden Snitch. It was hovering inches above Malfoy's left ear — and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn't seen it.

For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in midair, not daring to speed toward Malfoy in case he

looked up and saw the Snitch.

WHAM.

He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt his arm break.

Buffy suddenly sensed something as she looked around and spotted Harry holding his arm. "Dang," she muttered. She quickly turned and headed for Harry, "You okay?"

Harry nods, "Get back down there. the quicker we win this the better. I'm ok, Buffy, I swear."

Buffy nods and returns to the game.

Through a haze of rain and pain Harry dived for the shimmering, sneering face below him and saw its eyes widen with fear: Malfoy thought Harry was attacking him.

"What the —" he gasped, careening out of Harry's way.

Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out.

With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.

Buffy watched as Harry dove after the snitch.

Lee Jordan yells out, "Harry Potter has caught the Snitch… Gryffindor Wins."

As soon as Buffy heard that she dove for Harry fast, she jumped off the broom moments before she got to the ground. She ran quickly to Harry's side to find Harry was unconscious.

Hermione, Ron, Willow and Dawn came running on on the pitch as Hermione pointed her wand at the rogue bludger, "_Finite incantatem_!" And the bludger exploded.

Harry opened his eyes and saw Buffy and Dawn kneeling next to him. Then he spotted Lockhart rushing over to him, "Bells!"

Buffy followed Harry's gaze and stood up right in Lockhart's way, "Where do you think your going?"

Hermione looks at Harry, "Are you okay?"

Harry shakes his head, "No, I think my- I think my arm's broken."

Lockhart looks past Buffy and tries to move around her, "Not to worry, Harry. I will fix that arm of yours straight away."

Buffy shook her head, "I don't think so, Professor. You leave my brother alone."

Lockhart looked to Buffy and shook his head, "Dear girl, I am a professor and know how to do this sort of thing."

Buffy frowns, "I don't give a rats rear about what you want. You leave my brother alone, or you will end up next to him in the hospital wing."

Dumbledore steps up next to Buffy, "That will be enough, Miss. Potter. Madame Pomfrey is here now and will take Harry to the hospital wing. Why don't you and Miss Summers accompany him?"

Buffy nods and motions for Dawn to follow her as they along with Harry and Madame Pomfrey head towards the castle.


	6. Chapter 6: A Night in the Hospital Wing

**Chapter 6: A Night in the Hospital Wing**

Buffy and Dawn sat at Harry's side as Madame Pomfrey administered a potion to mend bones, "I'm keeping you in here all night, Mr. Potter. To make sure that the bones mend properly."

Harry nodded, "Can Bells and Dawn stay with me tonight, please?"

Madame Pomfrey sighed and looked to Dumbledore who nodded, "Yes Harry they can. I doubt they would reluctantly leave you anyways. I will have dinner sent up for the three of you."

Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey left as Buffy smiled sadly, "Harry why did you do that? We should have just called off the game."

Dawn nodded in agreement.

Harry sighed, "Sorry Bells, Dawnie. I guess I wasn't thinking at the time."

Ron, Willow, and Hermione entered the room just then. "Congrats, mate," said Ron, a grin breaking across his face. "That was some catch you made. Malfoy's face…he looked ready to kill…"

"I want to know how he fixed that Bludger," said Hermione darkly.

"We can add that to the list of questions we'll ask him when we've taken the Polyjuice Potion," said Harry, sinking back onto his pillows. "I hope it tastes better than this stuff…"

"If it's got bits of Slytherins in it? You've got to be joking," said Ron.

Buffy shook her head, "Have we decided who's going? 6 Slytherins showing up all at once is going to be suspicious."

Hermione sighs, "Well Harry should go of course. Buffy maybe you should as well. And maybe myself since I'm brewing the potion?"

Buffy nods, "Sounds like a plan."

Hours and hours later, Harry woke quite suddenly in the pitch blackness and gave a small yelp of

Pain, his arm still not completely mended. Buffy and Dawn looked up from the beds on either side of him.

Then, with a thrill of horror, they realized that someone was sponging Harry's forehead in the dark.

"Get off!" Harry said loudly, and then, "Dobby!"

The house-elf's goggling tennis ball eyes were peering at Harry through the darkness. A single tear was running down his long, pointed nose.

"The Potter Twins and Dawn Summers came back to school," Dobby whispered miserably. "Dobby warned and warned The Potter Twins and Dawn Summers. Ah sir, why didn't you heed Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?"

Harry heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby's sponge away. "What're you doing here?" he said. "And how did you know we missed the train?"

Dobby's lip trembled and Harry was seized by a sudden suspicion. "It was you!" he said slowly. "You stopped the barrier from letting us through!"

Buffy growled, "You could have gotten us expelled if not for mom being there and her quick thinking."

"Indeed yes, sir," said Dobby, nodding his head vigorously, ears flapping. "Dobby hid and watched for Potter family and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward" — he showed Harry ten long, bandaged fingers — "but Dobby didn't care, sir, for he thought the Potter Twins and Dawn Summers was safe, and never did Dobby dream that the Potter Twins and Dawn Summers would get to school another way!"

He was rocking backward and forward, shaking his ugly head. "Dobby was so shocked when he heard the Potter Twins and Dawn Summers was back at Hogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir…"

Harry slumped back onto his pillows.

"You nearly got us expelled," Buffy said again.

Harry nods, "You'd better get lost before my bones finish mending, Dobby, or I might strangle you."

Dobby smiled weakly. "Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home." He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore, looking so pathetic that Harry felt his anger ebb away in spite of himself.

"Why do you wear that thing, Dobby?" Dawn asked curiously.

"This, miss?" said Dobby, plucking at the pillowcase. "'Tis a mark of the house-elf's enslavement, miss. Dobby can only be freed if his masters present him with clothes, miss. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever." Dobby mopped his bulging eyes and said suddenly, "The Potter Twins and Dawn Summers must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make —"

"Your Bludger?" said Buffy, anger rising once more. "What d'you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill Harry? You better get out of here if you know what's good for you."

"Not kill, miss, never kill!" said Dobby, shocked. "Dobby wants to save the Potter Twins and Dawn Summers' life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here miss! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough so the three of you could be sent home!"

"Oh, is that all?" said Harry angrily. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you wanted us sent home and me in pieces?"

"Ah, if Harry and Isabella Potter only knew!" Dobby groaned, more tears dripping onto his ragged pillowcase. "If you both knew what you means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elves were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir," he admitted, drying his face on the pillowcase. "But mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since the Potter Twins triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry and Isabella Potter survived, and the Dark Lord's power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry and Isabella Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, sit…And now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let the Potter Twins and Dawn Summers stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more."

Dobby froze, horrorstruck, then grabbed Harry's water jug from his bedside table and cracked it

over his own head, toppling out of sight. A second later, he crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, "Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby…"

"So there is a Chamber of Secrets?" Harry whispered. "And did you say it's been opened before?

Tell us, Dobby!"

He seized the elf's bony wrist as Dobby's hand inched toward the water jug. "But I'm not Muggle-born — how can I be in danger from the Chamber?"

"Ah, sir, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby," stammered the elf, his eyes huge in the dark.

"Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen — go home, Harry and Isabella Potter and Dawn Summers, go home. Harry and Isabella Potter must not meddle in this, sir, 'tis too dangerous —"

"Who is it, Dobby?" Harry said, keeping a firm hold on Dobby's wrist to stop him from hitting

himself with the water jug again. "Who's opened it? Who opened it last time?"

"Dobby can't, sir, Dobby can't, Dobby mustn't tell!" squealed the elf. "Go home, Harry Potter, go home!"

"I'm not going anywhere!" said Harry fiercely. "One of our best friends is Muggle-born, so is Dawn; they'll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened —"

"Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends and family!" moaned Dobby in a kind of miserable ecstasy. "So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself and his family, they must, the Potter Twins and Dawn Summers must not —"

Dobby suddenly froze, his bat ears quivering. Harry heard it, too. There were footsteps coming

down the passageway outside.

"Dobby must go!" breathed the elf, terrified. There was a loud crack, and Harry's fist was suddenly clenched on thin air. He slumped back into bed, his eyes on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew nearer.

Next moment, Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.

"Get Madam Pomfrey," whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry, Buffy and Dawn's bed out of sight. They lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. They heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed.

"Another attack," said Dumbledore. "Minerva found him on the stairs."

"There was a bunch of grapes next to him," said Professor McGonagall. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit the Potters and Miss Summers."

Buffy frowned as she looked at Harry.

Harry's stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, he raised himself a few inches so he could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face. It was Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera.

"Petrified?" whispered Madam Pomfrey.

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "But I shudder to think …If Albus hadn't been on the way

downstairs for hot chocolate — who knows what might have —"

The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched the camera out of Colin's rigid grip.

"You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" said Professor McGonagall eagerly.

Dumbledore didn't answer. He opened the back of the camera.

"Good gracious!" said Madam Pomfrey.

A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. Harry, three beds away, caught the acrid smell of burnt plastic. "Melted," said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. "All melted…"

"What does this mean, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently.

"It means," said Dumbledore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."

Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore.

"But, Albus…surely…who?"

"The question is not who," said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. "The question is, how…" And from what Harry could see of Professor McGonagall's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than he did.

The next morning he, Buffy, and Dawn were waiting for Madame Pomfrey to allow Harry to leave. They each turned their attention to the curtained off bed.

Buffy sighed, "I think I better go see Giles about this. Then possibly see if Dumbledore will let me start patrolling."

Harry nods, "Be careful, Bells… please."

Buffy smiles, "You know I think I should get mom to change my name to Bells since you call me that so much anyways."

Harry and Dawn laughed.

Meanwhile in the Gryffindor common room Voldemort smiled. Everything was going to plan. Ginny Weasley would eventually be dead so that he may live. He would have his body back and would be out of this teenage girl. He glanced at a nearby mirror as Willow Weasley's reflection looked back at him.

* * *

**Authors Notes **- It's finally revealed who Voldemort was possessing... Despite the poll I had up Willow is who I always intended. Tom Riddle of course is still possessing Ginny btw - that part of the story never changed. Anyways I sort of wanted a Dark Willow story.

Ajjr12 - Angel will not make an appearance, nor will Spike.

I already know who two of the pairings will be. In fact part of the finale of book 7 is written with mentions of both pairings so those are set in stone. One is a canon pairing (Harry/Ginny). I also know who Buffy will be paired with, the Buffy pairing will actually have a tragic and happy ending at the same time. Willow, Ron, Hermione and Dawn I don't know. I'm not sure on. I really want to keep the femslash of Willow from BTVS. So that leaves only a handful of possibilities.


	7. Chapter 7: Parseltongue

**Chapter 7: Parseltongue**

Lockhart and Snape walks in to the Great Hall, "Gather 'round, gather 'round! Can everybody see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! In light of the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little Dueling Club to train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourselves, as I myself have done on countless occasions- for full details, see my published works. Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape. He has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry- you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear. One, two, three-"

Snape smiles, "Expelliarmus!"

Lockhart looks stunned for a moment, "Whoaah!"

Hermione shakes her head, "Do you think he's all right?"

Buffy laughs, "As if. I just don't trust him. He couldn't teach anyone anything. I bet if I hadn't stopped him he would have made all the bones in Harry's arm vanish instead of mending them."

Lockhart nods, "An excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind me saying, it was pretty obvious- ah- what you were about to do. And if I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy."

Snape nods, "Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, Professor."

Lockhart smiles, "An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape! Ah... Let's have a volunteer pair! Um, Potter, Weasley, how about you."

Snape shook his head, "Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox. And I seriously doubt he would want to cast any spell at his own sister or cousin. Might I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy, perhaps?"

Buffy groaned, "Professor Snape. I have to disagree with you. Harry and I had been taking _muggle_ defense courses at home and we have been sparring regularly together. A little wand duel isn't going to be much different, it is after all just a training session." She emphasized muggle in hopes of giving Snape an indication she was talking about her Slayer training.

Snape shook his head, "Miss Potter my mind is made up. End of discussion, unless you want to receive detention? 10 points from Gryffindor for speaking like that to a Professor."

Buffy hmphed.

Dawn shook her head, "Don't let him get to you Buffy."

Buffy smiles and nods at her sister, "Thanks, Dawnie."

Dawn smiles, "No problem, Buffy."

Lockhart steps up next to Harry, "Good luck, Potter."

Harry sighs, "Thank you, sir."

Lockhart steps away, "Wands at the ready."

Malfoy smirks, "Scared, Potter?"

Harry laughs, "You wish."

Lockhart smiles, "On the count of three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent- only to disarm. We don't want any accidents here. One, two—"

Malfoy laughs, "Everte statium!"

Buffy frowns, "That's not a disarming spell."

Hermione nods in agreement, "Oh!"

Crabbe falls down laughing, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Harry smirks, "Rictusempra!"

Lockhart frowns and all but screams, "I said disarm only!"

Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "Serpensortia!"

The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell

heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.

"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it…"

"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.

Harry looks at the snake, "Sya- hassa- she. Sya- hasi- heth."

Buffy nods in agreement, "Sya- hasi- heth."

Harry and Buffy looked up at Justin, grinning, expecting to see Justin looking relieved, or puzzled, or even grateful but certainly not angry and scared. "What are you two playing at?"

Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, "Vipera evenesca." And the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry and Buffy in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look, and neither of them liked it. They were also dimly aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls.

Then Harry felt a tugging on the back of his robes. "Come on," said Ron's voice in his ear. "Move — come on —"

Hermione had grabbed Buffy and was pulling her along as well. Dawn and Willow fell in behind them.

Ron and Hermione steered them out of the hall. As they went through the doors, the people on either side drew away as though they were frightened of catching something. Harry kept looking at Buffy as to ask what is going on. Buffy simply shrugged as she had no idea. Ron nor Hermione dragged them all the way up to the empty Gryffindor common room.

Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair, and Hermione pushed Buffy in another.

Ron shook his head, "You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you both tell us?"

"We're a what?" said Harry.

`A Parselmouth!" said Ron. "You both can talk to snakes!"

"I know," said Harry. "I mean, that's only the second time I've ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once — long story — but it was telling me it had never seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to that was before I knew I was a wizard —"

Buffy sighed, "I used to have a pet snake growing up. Used to scare Dawn all the time with it, Its why she hates snakes. Anyways I thought it was always my imagination that it was talking back."

Dawn blushes at the mention of her fear of snakes.

"So?" said Harry. "I bet loads of people here can do it."

"Oh, no they can't," said Ron. "It's not a very common gift. Harry, this is bad."

"What's bad?" said Harry, starting to feel quite angry. "What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if we hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin —"

"Oh, that's what you two said to it?" Ron asked.

"What do you mean? You were there — you heard us —" Buffy said

"I heard you both speaking Parseltongue," said Ron. "Snake language. You could have been saying anything — no wonder Justin panicked, you both sounded like you were egging the snake on or something — it was creepy, you know —"

Harry gaped at him, "We spoke a different language? But — I didn't realize — how can I… We speak a language without knowing we can speak it?"

Ron shook his head. He, Willow and Hermione were looking as though someone had died.

"D'you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin's head?" Harry said. "What does it matter how I did it as long as Justin doesn't have to join the Headless Hunt?"

"It matters," said Hermione, speaking at last in a hushed voice, "because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent."

Harry and Buffy's mouth fell open.

"Exactly," said Ron. "And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great-great-grandson or something —"

"But we're not," said Harry, with a panic he couldn't quite explain.

"You'll find that hard to prove," said Hermione. "He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know, you both could be."

Harry and Buffy lay awake for hours that night. Finally they got up and made their way down to the common room.

Buffy sighed, "Couldn't sleep either?"

Harry shook his head, "No. You don't think were related to Slytherin do you?"

Buffy shakes her head, "No. But it can't be a coincidence that we can speak Parseltongue either."

Harry nods, "What are we going to do?"

Buffy sighs, "I don't know. I'm going to talk to Giles in the morning about this. See what he can make of it."

The next morning Buffy headed straight for the library. Giles was sitting at his desk as she ran up to him. Giles looked up, "Buffy what is it?"

Buffy sighed and whispered, "In private… Slayer business."

Giles nods and led her in to his office, closing the door behind them. "What is it, Buffy?"

Buffy nodded, "What do you know about Parseltongue?"

Giles sighed, he had heard what had happened yesterday, Parseltongue is the language of serpents primarily. As well as other magical serpent-based creatures, like the Runespoor who can converse with them. An individual who can speak Parseltongue is known as a Parselmouth. It is a very uncommon skill, and is typically hereditary. Nearly all known Parselmouths are descended from Salazar Slytherin. I assume you ask because of what happened yesterday?"

Buffy nods, "Harry and I we're up half the night because of it. Are we related to Slytherin?"

Giles shrugs, "I don't know, Buffy. I will look in to it though."

* * *

**Author's Note **- Ajjr12: I actually did Hush in my Stargate SG-1 story. So I know it likely could be brought over easy to this story. Once More With Feeling is one of my favorite episodes. But I'm not a song composer so doing a chapter in regards to it won't be as easy, at least not for me. If I could get someone willing to write the songs for me I could turn around and try and do it.


	8. Chapter 8: Third Attack

**Chapter 8: Third Attack**

Buffy, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Willow and Dawn are studying in the Library. Harry and Buffy keep looking at each other as they are burdened by dark thoughts. Harry looks up at Ron. Ron smiles at Harry, then, seconds later, Hermione does the same - something forced about it all.

Unable to bear it, Harry gathers his books, gets up from the table. Buffy gets up to follow Harry.

Dawn sighs, "Some friends you two are. Can't you see Harry and Buffy are having a hard time with the rest of the school treating them the way they are. They could use their friends right now. What about you Willow? You haven't said anything at all to them since we all found out."

Voldemort/Willow shrugs.

Hermione frowns, "It's not that easy, Dawn."

As Harry and Buffy walks, students glance up, meet their gaze, then look away. Even Madame Pince eyes them from her desk.

Giles shakes his head, not entirely sure how to help Buffy or Harry. He has so far found no information to prove or disprove that they are indeed related or not to Salazar Slytherin.

Ginny Weasley, tired and pale, scribbles furiously in a small black book.

Harry and Buffy exits, they walk into the hallway and pause. From inside a room, the VOICES of a group of Hufflepuffs can be heard.

"So, anyway, I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best he keep a low profile for a while."

"But why would he want to attack Justin?"

"Justin let it slip to Potter that he was Muggle-born."

"And you definitely think Harry and Isabella Potter are the Heirs of Slytherin?"

"Hannah, they're both a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue. Remember what was written on the wall: Enemies of the Heir Beware. Harry Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Filch's cat's attacked and Isabella Potter is found by the teachers at the scene. That first-year Creevey's been annoying both of the Potters. Then Creevey's attacked."

"He always seems so nice, though. And, after all, he is the one who made You Know Who disappear."

"That's probably why You Know Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him."

Neither Harry nor Buffy want to hear anymore as they slip quietly away.

Harry shakes his head, "How can they think that?"

Buffy sighs, "I don't know Harry. I really don't.

They're not watching where their going and run straight into Hagrid who stands covered in snow, a dead rooster dangling from his hand. "All righ', Harry? Buffy?

Harry shakes his head, "Hagrid... what're you doing here?"

Hagrid holds up the rooster, "Second one killed this term. Reckon it's either foxes or a

Blood-Suckin' Bugbear. Need Dumbledore's permission ter put a charm round the hen-coop. Yeh

sure yeh're all righ', Harry? Buffy? Yeh both look all hot an' bothered.

Harry shakes his head, "It's nothing. We'd better get going. We've got a lot of studying..."

Harry and Buffy continue down the corridor slowly, neither one saying much to the other. Up ahead, in the light of a flickering torch, something Dark lies. A windowpane rattles in the wind and the torch... goes out.

Harry and Buffy steps closer, finds... Justin-Finch-Fletchley. Lying rigid on the floor, a look

of shock on his frozen face. Nearby, an inert Nearly Headless Nick floats, body teeming with black smoke.

Kneeling, Harry notices a TRAIL OF SPIDERS scuttling away from Justin's body and out the loose windowpane... when suddenly...

Buffy looks up as she senses someone approach. She touches Harry's shoulder who stands up immediately as they wheel around to face Professor McGonagall

Harry nods to McGongall, "Professor, I swear we didn't –"

McGonagall shakes her head, "This is out of my hands, Potter. I wish I could look the otherway because of who your sister is. But I'm afraid I can't turn a blind eye. Mr. Filch, will you take care of this, please?

Harry and Buffy's eyes shift. Filch lurks in the shadows beyond McGonagall. He steps forward, hisses quietly. "Caught in the act. I'll have you both out this time, Potter. Mark my words..."

As McGonagall leads Harry away, he looks back. Filch stares at Justin and Nick, then turns. "Dark magic. That's what you've got, Potter. Even the air you breathe comes out poison. You're

evil. Evil as they come..."

Buffy frowns, "The Slayer fights against the forces of darkness. How can I be evil?"

McGonagall marches Harry and Buffy down to an ugly stone gargoyle – the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office. "Sherbet lemon." McGonagall says.

The Gargoyle springs to life, its wings opening.

Professor McGonagall turns to Harry and Buffy, "Professor Dumbledore will be

waiting for you two."

Harry and Buffy step inside and ride the revolving staircase to the top. They step out of the Gargoyle's embrace and enter a large, circular room. On a nearby shelf, the sorting hat sits.

Harry and Buffy look around the room seeing the many portaits of previous headmasters. Harry

approaches the Sorting Hat, glances around, then places it atop his head.

"Bee in your bonnet, Potter?" The Sorting Hat says.

Harry looks at Buffy as he talks loud enough for her to hear, "Well, you see, we were wondering..."

"If I put you and your sister in the right house? Yes... you both were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said last year... you both would have done well in Slytherin."

Harry strips the hat off, tosses it back onto the shelf. "You're wrong!"

Buffy shakes her head, "Let me guess it still says we should be in Slytherin?"

Harry nods, "Sorry, Buffy."

Buffy smiles, "You know I've gotten used to after two years of you calling me Bells. I think I would prefer…"

Harry nods understanding, "To keep calling you Bells. It's up to you; you do have more than one name. The name our mum and dad gave you, and then the one our adopted mum gave you."

Buffy smiles, "I like it when you call me Bells. If you want Harry you can even call me Isabella."

Harry nods, "Bells it is then."

They turn as they hear a gagging sound. They find Fawkes sitting on a perch. It wobbles and then bursts into flames.

As Dumbledore enters, Harry and Buffy looks horrorstruck. "Professor, your bird... We couldn't

do anything... He just caught fire." Harry says.

Dumbledore nods, "About time too. He's been looking dreadful for days. Pity you both had to see him on a Burning Day. He's really very handsome most of the time." Harry looks to Buffy and then back at Dumbledore. "Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry... Buffy. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes.

Harry and Buffy look at the plate underneath perch. The ashes swirl. A baby Fawkes pokes out his wrinkled head, blinking through the dust. "Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets." Dumbledore says.

Just then, Hagrid - still clutching the dead rooster – bursts through the door. "It wasn't Harry or Buffy, Professor Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore nods, "Hagrid –"

Hagrid nods, "I was talkin' ter them jus' before that kid was found. It can't've bin them!"

Dumbledore nods again, "Hagrid –"

Hagrid shakes his head, "I'll swear ter it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic –"

Dumbledore sighs, "HAGRID! I do not think that Harry or Isabella has attacked anyone."

Hagrid blinks, "Oh. Right. I'll wait outside then."

As Hagrid exits, Harry looks hopefully at Dumbledore. "You don't think it was us, Professor?" Buffy asks.

Dumbledore nods, "No, Isabella. But I must ask you... is there anything either of you would like to tell me. Anything at all?

Dumbledore waits. Harry looks at Buffy as the two of them appear to be debating something…

Harry shakes his head, "No, Professor. Nothing."

* * *

**Author's Note - **Ajjr12: Since reading your last review I've been going through the once more with feeling script to see if I can use it. I see one problem in using that script how to kill Buffy and bring her back, since a few songs are tied in to her death. If I can do that then maybe the Once More With Feeling Script could work with changes; I would have to leave out Xander/Anya, Giles Training Montage, and Giles/Tara songs - as they really wouldn't fit in to this series. But the question is how to kill off Buffy and how to bring her back. I guess I could have her drown and revived, but the question is would that be long enough for her to have been in heaven. Or should I go for the double whammy and have her killed in two stories, and have someone do the resurrection thing. She definitely needs to have gone to Heaven at some point for Buffy's last solo song to work as it reveals she was in heaven.

I tried seeing if I could find the potter musical you mentioned but there is like tons of of them on here so I don't know which one your actually talking about.


	9. Chapter 9: Polyjuice Potion

**Chapter 9: Polyjuice Potion**

Voldemort/Willow frowned. He would have to do something to get the twins off his trail. It was only a matter of time before they found out what he was doing and how to get in to the Chamber. But the question is what.

Christmas morning dawned, cold and white. Harry and Ron, the only ones left in their dormitory,

were woken very early by Hermione, Willow, Buffy, and Dawn, who burst in, all fully dressed.

"Wake up," Buffy said loudly, pulling back the curtains at the window. She then jumped on Harry's bed.

Harry sighed, "Bells! I'm awake already."

Buffy giggled, "Come on Harry its Christmas."

"Buffy, Hermione, Dawn, Willow — you're not supposed to be in here —" said Ron, shielding his eyes against the light.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," said Hermione, throwing him his present. "I've been up for nearly an hour, adding more lacewings to the potion. It's ready."

Harry sat up, suddenly wide awake. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," said Hermione, shifting Scabbers the rat so that she could sit down on the end of Ron's four-poster. "If we're going to do it, I say it should be tonight."

Buffy nods in agreement, "It should be tonight."

The Great Hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing the ceiling, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling. Dumbledore led them in a few of his favorite carols, Hagrid booming more and more loudly with every goblet of eggnog he consumed. Percy, who hadn't noticed that Fred had bewitched his prefect badge so that it now read "Pinhead," kept asking them all what they were sniggering at. Harry didn't even care that Draco Malfoy was making loud, snide remark about his new sweater from the Slytherin table. With a bit of luck, Malfoy would be getting his comeuppance in a few hours' time.

Harry and Buffy had barely finished their third helpings of Christmas pudding when Hermione ushered them out of the hall to finalize their plans for the evening.

Voldemort/Willow watched them go and stood up. He snuck out and went straight to Hermione's bed in Gryffindor tower. He found the vial of hair that Hermione had got from Bulstrode. He quickly changed it with that of a cat. He then ran it down to Hermione.

"We still need a bit of the people you're changing into," said Hermione matter-of-factly, as though she were sending them to the supermarket for laundry detergent. "And obviously, it'll be best if you can get something of Crabbe's and Goyle's; they're Malfoys best friends, he'll tell them anything. And we also need to make sure the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating him.

"I've got it all worked out," Hermione went on smoothly, ignoring Harry's and Buffy's stupefied faces. She held up two plump chocolate cakes. "I've filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. All you have to do is make sure Crabbe and Goyle find them. You know how greedy they are, they're bound to eat them.

Once they're asleep, pull out a few of their hairs and hide them in a broom closet."

Harry and Buffy looked incredulously at each other. "Hermione, I don't think —" Harry said.

"That could go more seriously wrong." Buffy said finishing Harry's thought.

But Hermione had a steely glint in her eye not unlike the one Professor McGonagall sometimes had. "The potion will be useless without Crabbe's and Goyle's hair," she said sternly. "You bpth do want to investigate Malfoy, don't you?"

"Oh, all right, all right," said Harry. "But what about you? Whose hair are you ripping out?"

"I've already got mine!" said Hermione brightly, as Voldemort/Willow ran up and handed her a vial of hair.

Hermione looked at Willow, "Let me guess I forgot it in our room?" Voldemort/Willow nods. "Remember Millicent Bulstrode wrestling with me at the Dueling Club? She left this on my robes when she was trying to strangle me! And she's gone home for Christmas — so I'll

just have to tell the Slytherins I've decided to come back."

When Hermione had bustled off to check on the Polyjuice Potion again, Buffy turned to Harry with a doom-laden expression. "Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?"

Harry shook his head.

Voldemort/Willow smiled as he left. If his plan worked the way he wanted. Hermione would transform in to a cat and then they would have to take her to the hospital wing instead of questioning Malfoy.

Harry and Buffy watched as Crabbe and Goyle came out of the Great Hall laden with sweets. Then they spotted the cakes that Buffy and Harry had left for them.

"How stupid can you get?" Buffy whispered as Crabbe gleefully pointed out the cakes to Goyle and grabbed them. Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths. For a

moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, they both keeled over backward onto the floor.

Buffy smiled as she grabbed one and then the other and moved them in to the closet. She was glad she was the Slayer, as carrying them was easy for her. They then yanked out a couple of bristles of hair. They also stole their shoes, because their own were far too small for Crabbe- and Goyle-size feet. Then they sprinted up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

They could hardly see for the thick black smoke issuing from the stall in which Hermione was stirring the cauldron. Pulling their robes up over their faces, Harry and Buffy knocked softly on the door. "Hermione?"

They heard the scrape of the lock and Hermione emerged, shiny-faced and looking anxious. Behind her they heard the gloop gloop of the bubbling, glutinous potion. Three glass tumblers stood ready on the toilet seat.

"Did you get them?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

Harry showed her Goyle's hair.

"Good. And I sneaked these spare robes out of the laundry," Hermione said, holding up a small sack. "You'll need bigger sizes once you're Crabbe and Goyle." The three of them stared into the cauldron. Close up, the potion looked like thick, dark mud, bubbling sluggishly. "I'm sure I've done everything right," said Hermione, nervously rereading the splotched page of Moste Potente Potions. "It looks like the book says it should … once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly an hour before we change back into ourselves."

"Now what?" Buffy asked.

"We separate it into three glasses and add the hairs." Hermione ladled large dollops of the potion into each of the glasses. Then, her hand trembling, she shook _Millicent Bulstrode's_ hair out of its bottle into the first glass.

The potion hissed loudly like a boiling kettle and frothed madly. A second later, it had turned a sick sort of yellow.

"That just looks disgusting. I'm glad we only have to drink that stuff once." said Buffy, eyeing it with loathing. "Bet it tastes disgusting as well."

"Add yours, then," said Hermione.

Harry dropped Goyle's hair into the middle glass and Buffy put Crabbe's into the last one. Both glasses hissed and frothed: Goyle's turned the khaki color of a booger, Crabbe's a dark, murky brown.

"Hang on," said Harry as Buffy and Hermione reached for their glasses. "We'd better not all drink them in here …. Once we turn into Crabbe and Goyle we won't fit. And Millicent Bulstrode's no pixie."

"Good thinking. Plus I don't know about Hermione but I don't want my brother seeing my naked body when I change into the other robes." said Buffy, unlocking the door. "We'll take separate stalls."

Harry blushed.

Careful not to spill a drop of his Polyjuice Potion, Buffy slipped into the middle stall. "Ready?" she called.

"Ready," came Harry's and Hermione's voices.

"One — two — three —" Buffy called out.

Buffy suddenly felt sick to her stomach as she turned around to the toilet as if to throw up. But nothing came up. That's when she noticed the bubbling effect in her hand. She reached up and touched her face to find the same thing happening to it.

A moment later Buffy stepped out of the stall to see Harry already transformed in to Goyle. "Harry?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy?" Harry asked in return.

Buffy shook her head, "We still sound like ourselves."

Harry nods, "You need to sound more like Crabbe. Since he doesn't speak much hopefully no one will notice your voice is higher than his."

Buffy nods and tries to sound more like Crabbe with moderate success. "Hey... Where's Hermione?"

Hermione is still in the stall, "I - I don't think I'm going. You go on without me."

Harry frowns as he looks at Buffy, "Hermione, are you okay?"

Hermione sighs, "Just go! You're wasting time!"

Harry looked at his watch. Five of their precious sixty minutes had already passed.

"We'll meet you back here, all right?" he said.

Harry and Ron opened the door of the bathroom carefully, checked that the coast was clear, and set off. "Don't swing your arms like that," Harry muttered to Buffy.

"What?" Buffy asked.

Harry nods, "Crabbe holds them sort of stiff…"

"How's this?" Buffy replies as she holds her arms stiff.

"Yeah, that's better…" Harry said.

They went down the marble staircase. All they needed now was a Slytherin that they could follow to the Slytherin common room, but there was nobody around. "Any ideas?" muttered Harry.

"The Slytherins always come up to breakfast from over there," said Buffy, nodding at the entrance to the dungeons. Harry and Buffy hurried down the stone steps into the darkness, their footsteps echoing particularly loudly as Crabbe's and Goyle's huge feet hit the floor, feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as they had hoped.

The labyrinthine passages were deserted. They walked deeper and deeper under the school,

constantly checking their watches to see how much time they had left. After a quarter of an hour, just when they were getting desperate, they heard a sudden movement ahead.

Buffy smiled, "There's one now."

The figure was emerging from a side room. As they hurried nearer, however, their hearts sank. It

wasn't a Slytherin, it was Percy.

"What're you doing down here?" said Harry in surprise.

Percy looked affronted. "That," he said stiffly, "is none of your business. It's Goyle, isn't it?"

"Wh — oh, yeah," said Harry.

"Well, get off to your dormitories," said Percy sternly. "It's not safe to go wandering around dark corridors these days."

"You are," Harry pointed out.

"I," said Percy, drawing himself up, "am a prefect. Nothing's about to attack me."

Buffy stifled a giggle. She knew if something evil wanted to it wouldn't matter if Percy was a prefect or a helpless baby. He would still be dead.

A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry and Buffy. Draco Malfoy was strolling toward them, and for the first time in his life, Harry was pleased to see him. "There you are," he drawled, looking at them. "Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? I've been looking for you; I want to show you something really funny." Malfoy glanced witheringly at Percy. "And what're you doing down here, Weasley?" he sneered.

Percy looked outraged. "You want to show a bit more respect to a school prefect!" he said. "I don't like your attitude!"

Malfoy sneered and motioned for Harry and Buffy to follow him. Harry almost said something apologetic to Percy but caught himself just in time. He and Ron hurried after Malfoy, who said as they turned into the next passage, "That Peter Weasley —"

"Percy," Harry corrected him automatically.

"Whatever," said Malfoy. "I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he's up to. He thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's heir single-handed."

He gave a short, derisive laugh. Harry and Buffy exchanged excited looks.

Malfoy paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.

"What's the new password again?" he said to Harry.

"Er —" said Harry.

"Oh, yeah — pure-blood!" said Malfoy, not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid

open. Malfoy marched through it, and Harry and Buffy followed him.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs.

"Wait here," said Malfoy to Harry and Ron, motioning them to a pair of empty chairs set back from the fire. "I'll go and get it my father's just sent it to me —"

Wondering what Malfoy was going to show them, Harry and Buffy sat down, doing their best to look at home.

Malfoy came back a minute later, holding what looked like a newspaper clipping. He thrust it under Buffy's nose.

"That'll give you a laugh," he said.

Buffy read the clipping and frowned. She wondered how the Ministry found out about Mr. Weasley's car. She gave a forced laugh and then handed the clipping to Harry.

It had been clipped out of the _Daily Prophet _, and it said:

_INQUIRY AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC_

_Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car._

_Mr. Lucius Malfoy, a governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry called today for_

_Mr. Weasley's resignation. "Weasley has brought the Ministry into disrepute," Mr. Malfoy told our reporter. "He is clearly unfit to draw up our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately."_

_Mr. Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she'd set the family ghoul on them._

"Well?" said Malfoy impatiently as Harry handed the clipping back to him. "Don't you think it's

funny?"

"Ha, ha," said Harry bleakly.

"Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them," said Malfoy scornfully. "You'd never know the Weasleys were pure-bloods, the way they behave. You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet," he went on thoughtfully. "I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. He'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. Father's always said old Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place. He loves Muggle-borns. A decent headmaster would never've let slime like that Creevey kid or the Summers girl in."

Buffy's — or rather, Crabbe's — face was contorted with fury.

"What's up with you, Crabbe?" snapped Malfoy.

"Stomachache," Buffy grunted. At that moment she really wanted to pound Malfoy into pulp for even mentioning Dawn.

Malfoy started taking pictures with an imaginary camera and did a cruel but accurate impression of Colin: "`Potter Twins, can I have your picture, Potter Twins? Can I have your autograph? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter Twins?"'

He dropped his hands and looked at Harry and Ron. "What's the matter with you two?"

Far too late, Harry and Ron forced themselves to laugh, but Malfoy seemed satisfied; perhaps

Crabbe and Goyle were always slow on the uptake. "Saint Potters, the Mudbloods' friend," said Malfoy slowly. "They're another one with no proper wizard feeling, or they wouldn't go around with that jumped up Granger Mudblood. And people think they're Slytherin's heir!"

Harry and Buffy waited with bated breath: Malfoy was surely seconds away from telling them it was him — but then "I wish I knew who it is," said Malfoy petulantly. "I could help them."

Ron's jaw dropped so that Crabbe looked even more clueless than usual. Fortunately, Malfoy didn't notice, and Harry, thinking fast, said, "You must have some idea who's behind it all…"

"You know I haven't, Goyle, how many times do I have to tell you?" snapped Malfoy. "And Father won't tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it'll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing — last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it's a matter of time before one of them's killed this time…I hope it's Granger," he said with relish.

Buffy was clenching Crabbe's gigantic fists. Feeling that it would be a bit of a giveaway if Buffy

punched Malfoy, Harry shot her a warning look and said, "D'you know if the person who opened the Chamber last time was caught?"

"Oh, yeah…whoever it was was expelled," said Malfoy. "They're probably still in Azkaban."

"Azkaban?" said Harry, puzzled.

"Azkaban — the wizard prison, Goyle," said Malfoy, looking at him in disbelief "Honestly, if you were any slower, you'd be going backward." He shifted restlessly in his chair and said, "Father says to keep my head down and let the Heir of Slytherin get on with it. He says the school needs ridding of all the Mudblood filth, but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, he's got a lot on his plate at the moment. You know the Ministry of Magic raided our manor last week?"

Harry tried to force Goyle's dull face into a look of concern.

"Yeah…" said Malfoy. "Luckily, they didn't find much. Father's got some very valuable Dark Arts stuff. But luckily, we've got our own secret chamber under the drawing-room floor —"

"Ho!" said Buffy

.

Malfoy looked at her. So did Harry. Ron blushed. Even hwe hair was turning blond. Her nose was also slowly lengthening — their hour was up, Buffy was turning back into herself, and from the look of horror she was suddenly giving Harry, he must be, too.

They both jumped to their feet.

"Medicine for my stomach," Buffy grunted, and without further ado they sprinted the length of the Slytherin common room, hurled themselves at the stone wall, and dashed up the passage, hoping against hope that Malfoy hadn't noticed anything.

Buffy could feel her feet slipping around in Crabbe's huge shoes and had to hoist up her robes as she shrank; they crashed up the steps into the dark entrance hall, which was full of a muffled pounding coming from the closet where they'd locked Crabbe and Goyle. Leaving their shoes outside the closet door, they sprinted in their socks up the marble staircase toward Moaning

Myrtle's bathroom.

"Well, it wasn't a complete waste of time," Harry panted, closing the bathroom door behind them. "I know we still haven't found out who's doing the attacks, but I'm going to have Ron write to his Dad tomorrow and tell him to check under the Malfoys' drawing room."

Buffy checked her face in the cracked mirror. She was back to normal. She went and hammered on the door of Hermione's stall as Harry put his glasses on, "Hermione, come out, we've got loads to tell you —"

"Go away!" Hermione squeaked.

Harry and Buffy looked at each other.

"What's the matter?" said Buffy. "You must be back to normal by now, we are."

But Moaning Myrtle glided suddenly through the stall door. Harry had never seen her looking so happy. "Ooooooh, wait till you see," she said. "It's awful —"

They heard the lock slide back and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head.

"What's up?" said Harry uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?"

Hermione let her robes fall, her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had turned yellow and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair. "It was a c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"

"Uh-oh," said Harry.

"You'll be teased something dreadful," said Myrtle happily.

"It's okay, Hermione," said Buffy quickly trying to comfort her friend. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions…"

It took a long time to persuade Hermione to leave the bathroom. Moaning Myrtle sped them on their way with a hearty guffaw. "Wait till everyone finds out you've got a tail!"

Buffy glared at Moaning Myrtle, "Be glad you're a ghost. Or I would unleash my Slayer fury on you Myrtle."

Myrtle gasped, "You're a Slayer?!"


	10. Chapter 10: Hermione and Dawn

**Chapter 10: Hermione & Dawn**

Voldemort/Willow was furious Potter and his sister had found out too much from Malfoy. He had to accelerate his plan if he was to regain his body.

As Harry and Buffy left the Great Hall with Dawn, Voldemort/Willow, Ron and Hermione to go and collect their Quidditch things, another very serious worry was added to Buffy and Harry's growing list. They had just set foot on the marble staircase when they heard the snake again.

_"Kill this time…let me rip…tear…"_

Harry shouted aloud and Ron and Hermione both jumped away from him in alarm.

"The voice!" said Harry, -looking over his shoulder. "I just heard it again — didn't you?"

Ron shook his head, wide-eyed. Hermione, however, clapped a hand to her forehead. "Harry — I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!" And she sprinted away, up the stairs.

Buffy shook her head, "I heard it Harry. Something is up."

Harry nods, "You think we should tell Dumbledore?"

Buffy shook her head, "We have no way of knowing of what we're hearing. They could say we're going crazy since we're hearing things no one else can."

"What does Hermione understand?" said Harry distractedly, still looking around, trying to tell where the voice had come from.

"Loads more than I do," said Ron, shaking his head.

"But why's she got to go to the library?" Buffy asked.

"Because that's what Hermione does," said Ron, shrugging. "When in doubt, go to the library."

Harry stood, irresolute, trying to catch the voice again, but people were now emerging from the

Great Hall behind him, talking loudly, exiting through the front doors on their way to the Quidditch pitch.

"You two better get moving," said Ron. "It's nearly eleven — the match —"

Harry and Buffy raced up to Gryffindor Tower, collected their Nimbus Two Thousand, and joined the large crowd swarming across the grounds, but their mind was still in the castle along with the bodiless voice, and as he pulled on his scarlet robes in the locker room, his only comfort was that everyone was now outside to watch the game.

The teams walked onto the field to tumultuous applause. Oliver Wood took off for a warm-up flight around the goal posts; Madam Hooch released the balls. The Hufflepuffs, who played in canary yellow, were standing in a huddle, having a last-minute discussion of tactics.

Harry was just mounting his broom when Professor McGonagall came half marching, half running across the pitch, carrying an enormous purple megaphone.

Harry's heart dropped like a stone.

"This match has been cancelled," Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, addressing the packed stadium. There were boos and shouts. Oliver Wood, looking devastated, landed and ran toward Professor McGonagall without getting off his broomstick.

"But, Professor!" he shouted. "We've got to play — the cup — _Gryffindor _—"

Professor McGonagall ignored him and continued to shout through her megaphone:

"All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information. As quickly as you can, please!"

Then she lowered the megaphone and beckoned Harry and Buffy over to her. "Mr. and Miss Potter, I think you'd better come with me…."

Wondering how she could possibly suspect them this time, Buffy saw Ron and Voldemort/Willow detach themselves from the complaining crowd; he came running up to them as they set off toward the castle. To Harry's surprise, Professor McGonagall didn't object.

"Yes, perhaps you'd better come, too, Mr. and Miss Weasley…"

Some of the students swarming around them were grumbling about the match being canceled; others looked worried. Harry, Buffy, Voldemort/Willow, and Ron followed Professor McGonagall back into the school and up the marble staircase. But they weren't taken to anybody's office this time.

"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as they approached the infirmary. "There has been another attack … another _double _attack."

Buffy's insides did a horrible somersault. Professor McGonagall pushed the door open and he and Ron entered. . Madam Pomfrey was bending over a girl with long, brown hair.

Harry gulped and elbowed Buffy, "It's Dawn."

Buffy blinked and ran over to Dawn.

And on the bed next to her was —

" _Hermione_!" Ron groaned.

Hermione and Dawn lay utterly still, their eyes open and glassy.

"They were found near the library," said Professor McGonagall. "I don't suppose any of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them…"

Voldemort/Willow hid his smile as he looked at what his plan had accomplished.

Professor McGonagall was holding up a small, circular mirror.

Harry and Buffy shook their heads, both staring at Hermione.

"I will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower," said Professor McGonagall heavily. "I need to address the students in any case."

Buffy shook her head, "No."

Professor McGonagall shook her head, "Miss Potter, the Slayer you maybe. But you need to go back to Gryffindor Tower."

Buffy shook her head, "No. I'm not leaving Dawn. Not right now."

Just then Dumbledore entered the infirmary, "Miss Potter I know you are worried for your sister. But you will accompany Professor McGonagall back to Gryffindor Tower, NOW!"

Harry grabbed Buffy's arm and started pulling her away, "Come on Bells, Dawn will be alright."

Buffy broke from Harry's grasp and ran back to Dawn, kissing her on the forehead, "I will find whoever did this, Dawnie. I promise, and make them pay."

Buffy turned and walked back to McGonagall, "I don't know who is doing this Professor. But they now have to deal with the Slayer."

Buffy turns and runs out the door before McGonagall can stop her.

Voldemort/Willow frowned. How did he not know she was the Slayer. He thinks he may have made gross miscalculation in having Buffy's sister petrified.

_Willow smiles from somewhere in the back of her mind where Voldemort had pushed her when he took possession of her body, "If I were you, you better watch out."_

Buffy stopped somewhere in the castle, she wasn't sure where, as she slid to the floor crying. Why did this have to happen she wondered. She sacrificed herself for Dawn, or tried to anyways if Dawn hadn't saved her, so that Dawn wouldn't have to die. Now this happens and Buffy wonders if she is not cursed with being the Slayer.

Professor Dumbledore walks up next to Buffy and sits next to her, "How are you doing, Buffy?"

Buffy blinks as she has never heard any of the teachers call her by her adopted name, "Not good, Professor."

Dumbledore nods, "I can understand that. You feel like your sacrifice last year may have been in vain?"

Buffy nods, "Yes."

Dumbledore shakes his head, "It was not. Dawn lived, she continue to live. She is simply petrified and as soon as Professor Sprouts mandrakes are matured she will be revived."

Buffy nods and sighs, "What do I do now?"

Dumbledore smiles, "You live. I met another Slayer many years ago. She had said that Death was her gift, that it was the same for every Slayer. That to die in the defense of others was the greatest gift they could give to humanity, both muggle and wizard alike. But for you I don't feel that is true. For you, Life is your gift. Just by living and fighting you keep those you love safe. If I'm not mistaken you will likely become the longest living Slayer in history. You will do that because you love. You have friends and family, something other Slayers did not have."

Buffy smiles, "Thank you, Professor. I guess I ought to get back to the common room."

Dumbledore nods and stands as Buffy does and walks her back to Gryffindor Tower, "Now I must leave for a while. The board of governors has decided to suspend me because of the attacks. But know this should anyone need my help all they have to do is ask."

Buffy nods as she enters the common room.

For days after Buffy was in the Hospital Wing every free moment she could get. Harry and Ron had witnessed firsthand Hagrid being taken to Azkaban and Dumbledore being suspended. Harry and Ron had even gone in to the Forbidden Forest based on clue Hagrid had given them and found a giant spider named Aragog.

It was one of her trips to the Hospital Wing visiting Dawn when she noticed a scrap of paper in Dawn's hand. She was prying it out of her sister's hand when Harry and Ron came in.

Harry looked at Buffy, "What's that?"

Buffy looks at the paper and blinks and smiles, "Hermione figured it out."


	11. Chapter 11: Lockhart the Fraud

**Chapter 11: Lockhart the Fraud**

Buffy handed the piece of paper to Harry who read it aloud, "Of the many fearsome beasts that

roam our land, none is more deadly than the Basilisk. Capable of living for hundreds of years,

instant death awaits any who meet this giant serpent's eye. Spiders flee before it and only the

crowing of the rooster can kill it."

Harry nods, "This is it! The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk. That's why we can hear it speak. It's a snake."

Ron shakes his head, "But it kills by looking people in the eye. Why is it no one's dead?"

Harry frowns, contemplating this, then catches his, Buffy's and Ron's reflection in the window opposite. He mutters softly. "Because no one did look it in the eye. Not directly at least...

Colin saw it through his camera. Justin - Justin must've seen the Basilisk through Nearly Headless Nick! Nick got the full blast of it, but he's a ghost – he couldn't die again... And Hermione and Dawn... had the mirror! I bet you anything they were using it to look round

corners, in case it came along."

Ron nods, "And Mrs. Norris? I'm pretty sure she didn't have a camera or a mirror, Harry."

Buffy smiled, "The water... there was water on the floor that night. She only saw the Basilisk's reflection..."

Harry nods, "The crowing of the rooster is fatal to it! That's why Hagrid's roosters were killed!" Spiders flee before it! It all fits!"

Ron shakes his head, "But how's the Basilisk been getting around? A dirty great snake. Someone would have seen..."

Harry smiled, "Hermione answered that too." Harry points. Scribbled, in Hermione's hand, is:

"Pipes."

Ron aghast, "Pipes...? It's using the plumbing."

Harry nods, "Remember what Aragog said? About that girl fifty years ago? She died in a bathroom. What if she never left."

Buffy smiled, "Moaning Myrtle! Of course."

Harry nods. Just then, McGonagall's voice echoes throughout the castle, magically magnified. "All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers to the second floor corridor. Immediately."

Buffy frowns, "Let's go see what's up."

They race to the second floor corridor.

McGonagall stands before the desecrated wall, surrounded by the rest of the staff. Harry, Buffy and Ron creep up the stairwell. "As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message. Our worst fear has been realized. Two students have been taken by the monster. Into the Chamber itself. I'm afraid we shall have to send the students home. I'm afraid... this is the end of Hogwarts."

Lockhart bursts in cherrily, "So sorry. Dozed off. What have I missed?"

Snape smirks, "Just the man. Two girls have been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Your moment has come at last."

Lockhart shakes his head, "My m-moment?"

Snape nods, "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"

Lockhart shivers, "D-did I? I don't recall..."

McGonagall nods, "That settles it. We'll leave it to you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy. Your skills, after all, are legend."

Lockhart nods, "V-very well. I'll - I'll be in my office, getting – getting ready." He then turns and leaves.

McGonagall sighs, "The rest of us should go and inform the students what has happened."

Professor Sprout nods, "Who is it the monster's taken, Minerva?"

McGonagall shakes her head, "Ginny and Willow Weasley."

Ron's knees give way. As Harry catches him, the staff scatters, revealing what is written on the wall: Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.

Harry, Buffy and a very upset Ron walk with desperate purpose.

Ron shakes his head, "They knew something, Harry, Buffy. They'd found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That's why they were taken. I mean, she was - is - a pure-blood. There can't be any other reason."

Harry nods, "C'mon. Let's go see Lockhart. He may be a brainless git, but he's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him what we know..."

Buffy frowns, "You sure of that Harry. I don't trust him."

Harry nods, "I think we should if he can get in the Chamber."

Buffy sighs and nods.

Ron looks to the twins, "Harry, Buffy. D'you think there's any chance at all their not, you

know –"

Harry glances over, studies Ron's tortured eyes. "We'll find them, Ron. Ginny and Willow's going to be fine."

Ron nods, smiles shakily, and looks away. As he does, Harry's face changes, looks troubled.

Harry looks to Buffy and can see the same thing in her eyes. Neither of them believe what he's just said.

They dash to Lockhart's classroom.

Harry looks at Lockhart, "Professor, we've got some information for you–." Harry, Buffy, and Ron stop dead. Lockhart's office is stripped to the shelves. Two large trunks stand open. "Are you going somewhere?"

Lockhart nods, "Um, well, yes. Urgent call. Unavoidable. Got to go..."

Ron fumes, "What about my sisters?"

Lockhart nods, "Well, as to that – most unfortunate. No one regrets more than I –."

Buffy frowns, "I Knew I shouldn't have let you two talk me in to coming to him. He's worthless."

Ron shakes his head, "You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher! You can't go now!"

Lockhart nods, "I must say, when I took the job, nothing in the job description -."

Harry frowns, "You're running away? After all that stuff you did in your books?"

Buffy laughs, "Books can be misleading. Can't they Professor?"

Lockhart nods, "You are correct, Miss Potter."

Harry looked at Buffy and sighed, "You wrote them!"

Lockhart nods, "My dear boy, do use your common sense. My books wouldn't have sold half as well if people didn't think I'd done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on

the front cover. No dress sense at all..."

Buffy smiles, "You're nothing but a fraud. You've just been taking credit for what a load of other wizards have done."

Lockhart nods, "Isabella. Isabella. Isabella. There was work involved. I had to track these people down and ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. No, it's not all book signings and publicity photos. You want fame, you have to be prepared for a long, hard slog."

Ron shakes his head, "Is there anything you can do?"

Buffy laughs, "Doubt it."

Lockhart smirks, "Yes, now that you mention it. I'm rather gifted with Memory Charms. Otherwise, you see, all those wizards would've gone blabbing and I'd never have sold another book. I'm afraid I'll have to do the same to you both, lest you do the same."

Lockhart lifts his wand, but Buffy is quicker as she sweeps Lockhart off his feet. "Never mess with a Slayer or her family and friends. You won't like the results."

Harry smiles as he picks up Lockhart's wand, "Looks like those training sessions with Giles paid off."

Buffy blushes and nods, "Now Professor shall we go rescue Ginny and Willow? Or would you rather go to Professor McGonagall and explain how you're a fraud?"

Lockhart nods as they walk out and head for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Lockhart walks ahead of Harry and Ron, their wands pointed at him. Buffy is right behind them. Moaning Myrtle floats above the cistern. "Who's there? Oh..." She smiles flirtingly, "Hello, Harry. What do you want?"

Harry looks at Buffy who nods, "To ask you how you died."

Moaning Myrtle is flattered that he asked, "Oooooh, it was dreadful. It happened right here. In this very cubicle. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in."

Buffy nods, "Who was it, Myrtle?"

Moaning Myrtle frowns, "I don't know! I was distraught! But they said something funny. A

kind of made-up language. And I realized it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell

him to go away, and... I died."

Harry nods, "Just like that? How?"

Moaning Myrtle shrugs, "No idea. I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes.

Over there..." Myrtle points to the bank of sinks.

Buffy nods in understanding, "She saw the Basilisk."

Harry, Buffy and Ron hurry over, examining the pipes below, the tile above, then... Harry sees it etched on one of the copper taps is a tiny snake.

Harry looks to Buffy, "Over here, Buffy, Ron. This is it. This is the entrance to the Chamber of

Secrets."

Ron nods, "Say something, Harry. Say something in Parseltongue."

Harry stares off self-consciously at the tiny snake. "Open up."

Ron shakes his head. Harry's spoken in his regular voice. "English."

Harry concentrates harder this time, staring so intensely that the snake almost looks alive. When, finally, he speaks, it is more like a hiss."

Buffy smiles, "That's it, Harry."

The circular group of sinks opens and a large, open pipe is exposed.

Lockhart smiles, "Excellent, Harry. Good work. Well then. I'll just be going. There's no need for me..."

Buffy shakes her head, Oh, yes there is. You first."

Harry points his wand at Lockhart, then the opening.

Lockhart looks between the twins and Ron, "Now, boys and girls. What good will it do?"

Ron fumes, "A bloody lot of good if it's a two-hundred-foot drop onto jagged rocks."

Lockhart steps grimly to the dark, gaping hole. Ron gives him a shove and he topples headfirst and out of sight. They wait. Finally... "It's really quite filthy down here."

Harry nods, "All right. Let's go. Ladies first."

Buffy laughs and jumps sliding down the pipe.

Buffy stands at the bottom and points her wand at Lockhart waiting for Ron and Harry.


	12. Chapter 12: The Chamber of Secrets

**Chapter 12: The Chamber of Secrets**

Lockhart stares miserably at the muck dripping from his robes. Harry takes a TORCH from the wall, poises his wand. "Lumos!" The torch blooms with a bright orange flame. "Remember. Any sign of movement, close your eyes straight away."

Harry leads the way down the tunnel. CRUNCH! They look down: a rat's skull. All around them, the ground is littered with tiny skelentons.

Ron squints, sees something Huge and curved lying ahead. When he speaks, his voice is hollow with dread. "What's that? Up ahead?"

Lockhart nods, "That looks like a... snake." Terrified, Lockhart quickly hides his eyes.

Buffy shakes her head as she walks up to it, "It's just the moulting… It's skin."

Ron frowned, "Bloody hell. Whatever shed this must be twenty feet long. Or more."

THUD! They turn. Lockhart has passed out.

"Heart of a lion, this one." Ron kneels by him, when... Lockhart's eyes open and,

quick as a fox... he snatches Ron's wand and scrambles to his feet.

Lockhart smiles, "The adventure ends here, boys and girls! But don't fret. The world will

know our story. How I was too late to save the girl. How you two tragically lost your minds at

the sight of her mangled body. I'll even bind a limited edition in this snake skin. Say goodbye

to your memories." He raises Ron's wand. "Obliviate!"

Ron's wand explodes like a small bomb, blasting Lockhart off his feet and spitting great jets of fire into the rock above. As the rubble rains, Ron leaps one way. Harry and Buffy leaps the other way. Harry and Buffy sits up, squints through the settling dust. A solid wall of broken rock seals the tunnel between them and Ron.

Harry calls out, "Ron? Are you okay?"

Ron nods, "I'm okay. This git's not, though. He got blasted by my wand."

Lockhart sits up, dazed. Ron picks up a rock and conks him on the head. Lockhart passes out. Ron calls to Harry and Buffy. "What now?"

Harry looks at Buffy, "Wait here. We'll go on. We'll go on and... find Ginny and Willow. If we're not back in an hour..." He leaves it there.

Ron nods, "I'll try and shift some of this rock. So you can get back through. And, Harry, Buffy -."

Harry nods in understanding, "We'll see you in a bit."

Harry glances at the snake skin at his feet, as they move off. They step carefully through the shadows until he reaches a towering stone wall, carved with twin serpents,

Harry says in Parseltongue, "Open."

The serpents part and the giant wall slides open.

Buffy smiles, "You're getting good at that."

Harry nods, "I just hope we can do this."

Buffy sighs, "So do I. But hey were the Twins that Lived. Plus I'm the Slayer. We will be fine."

Harry smiles sadly as they remove their wands before going through the door.

A vast chamber stretches ahead. Along the path are rows of stone serpents. The serpents rest in pools of black water. Ahead is an enormous statue of Salazar Slytherin.

Several feet in front of the statue, Ginny Weasley lies motionless. As Harry dashes and takes her into his arms, her head lolls to one side, cheeks white as marble. A pale hand clutches Tom Riddle's Diary to her chest.

Harry drops the torch as he and Buffy race to Ginny, Harry places his wand on the floor and kneels beside her. "Ginny! Please don't be dead. Ginny! Wake up! Wake up!"

Voldemort/Willow and Tom Riddle steps out of the shadows as Riddle speaks, "She won't wake."

Harry spins. Tom Riddle stands nearby. He is strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry was looking at him through a misted window."

Buffy remembers a dream she had, "Tom... Tom Riddle? What d'you mean, she won't wake? She's not..."

Tom nods, "She's still alive. But only just."

Buffy looks to Voldemort/Willow, "Willow why are you here?"

Voldemort/Willow smiles, "Your friend Willow no longer exists. Hasn't since I took possession a year ago."

Buffy shakes her head as she hears Harry talking to Tom, "Are you a ghost?"

Tom shakes his head, "A memory. Preserved in a diary for fifty years."

Harry looks to the diary in Ginny's hand, then places his own hand on Ginny's arm. "She's cold as ice. You've got to help me, Tom. There's a basilisk –."

Tom shakes his head as he looks at Willow, "It won't come until it's called."

Harry looks up, sees Riddle twirling a wand in his fingers. "Give me my wand, Tom."

Buffy was so intent on Willow she had never noticed Tom had picked up Harry's wand.

Tom shakes his head, "You won't be needing it."

Harry shakes his head, "Listen, we've got to go! We've got to save her!"

Tom smiles, "I'm afraid I can't do that, Harry. You see, as poor Ginny grows

weaker... I grow stronger."

Harry frowns, "But she's dying!"

Suddenly Buffy understands, "Voldemort. Your Voldemort before he left Hogwarts."

Tom nods. Buffy turns to face Voldemort/Willow, "And your Voldemort now, or what's left of him. This has been all so you could get your own body again."

Voldemort/Willow smiled, "Good, I should have possessed you instead, you know. When I found out you were the Slayer I knew I possessed the wrong person. It wouldn't have mattered if I didn't have my own body then. I would have driven out your soul. Imagine poor Harry's face when his sister killed him."

Buffy shook her head, "I don't think so. Willow I know you're in there. You have to fight."

_In the back of Willow's mind she heard Buffy distantly and she gathered her strength to do just that._

Just then Buffy heard Fawkes swoop in and drop the sorting hat at Harry's feet.

Tom giggles, "This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat!"

Riddle tosses aside the hat. He turns to the statue of Salazar Slytherin and speaks in Parseltongue. "Speak to me, Slytherin."

Suddenly, the stone face's mouth opens. There is a rumbling sound, followed by the sound of slithering. Harry turns away. The Basilisk, spills out, uncoiling heavily to the floor. Harry turns to the wall. Buffy keeps her gaze intently on Voldemort/Willow, not looking at the snake.

Harry takes off at a run with the Basilisk chasing after him, leaving Voldemort/Willow alone with Buffy.

Buffy takes out her wand as she remembers an old movie she saw on TV, "Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

Voldemort/Willow laughs, "I have to remember that one. Shall we have at it?" He pulls out Willow's wand.

Voldemort/Willow fires a spell at Buffy who simply dodges, "Uhm Slayer, remember. You're going to have a hard time hitting your mark."

_Willow smiles while Voldemort is distracted. She attacks him, "Out of my body."_

_Voldemort looks at Willow from inside their mind and shakes his head. He can feel her trying to push him out._

Voldemort/Willow staggers as Buffy smiles. She grabs Willows hand as she closes her eyes. She lets all of the feelings for Dawn, Hermione, Ron, Willow and Harry flood her."

Voldemort/Willow screams.

_Willow smiles as she sees what Buffy is doing. "You're going to lose." Willow grabs on to Voldemort and lets her feelings flood her. _

_Voldemort staggers back, he doesn't know how but he is losing._

Voldemort with one last effort knocks Buffy back sending her careening in to the water. She lays there face down in the water unconscious.

_Willow smiles as Voldemort staggers even more. She is winning driving him out. Suddenly she is alone._

Willow blinks and looks around. She sees Harry next to Ginny on the floor. Tom Riddle standing beside them. "Remarkable, isn't it? How quickly the venom of the Basilisk penetrates the body? If you have any final words, Potter, you'd best speak them now. I'd guess you have little more than a minute to live."

Harry blinks heavily, watching as the skin of his forearm turns a troubling gray.

Willow quickly makes her way to Buffy and pulls her out of the water, "Harry, Buffy's not breathing."

Tom smiles, "So ends the famous Harry and Isabella Potter. He on his knees, she face down in a pool of water in the Chamber of Secrets. Defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your sister and dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry..."

As Riddle talks, Harry glances at Ginny, nearly white now, a small ghost, the only evidence of life the trembling of a single finger. Harry studies the finger and what lies beneath it: Tom Riddle's diary. Harry begins to crawl toward her.

Tom smirks, "Funny, isn't it? The damage a silly little book can do? Especially in the hands of a silly little girl."

Willow looks to Harry, "Harry hurry. I think Buffy is dead."

As Harry reaches Ginny, he places his hand on hers, then... slips the diary free.

Tom frowns, "What are you doing? No. Stop..." Riddle's face creases in fear. He lunges forward. But Harry is too quick. Raising his hand high... he plunges the basilisk fang into the book. Instantly, black ink spurts from the pages. "No!"

Riddle SHRIEKS, writhing in pain. His body begins to wither instantly, growing blurry once more. As the ink runs off Harry's fingers to the floor, Riddle vanishes altogether. Harry sinks back, then... hears a faint moan.

Ginny stirs, color blooming in her cheeks. As she sees Harry, she sobs. "Harry. It was me! But I swear, I didn't mean to... Riddle made me. He wrote to me... took me over... I didn't even know whose diary it was. I found it inside my cauldron. The day we all went to Diagon Alley and... Harry. You're hurt..."

Harry nods, "Ginny. You need to get yourself and Willow out... Follow the chamber... You'll find Ron..." There is a rush of wings and Fawkes circles down, lays his head onto Harry's arm. "You were brilliant, Fawkes. I just... wasn't quick enough."

Then Harry blinks, looks down. Thick pearly tears are trickling down Fawkes' face and onto his arm. Almost instantly, his wound... begins to heal itself.

Harry blinks and smiles, "Of course phoenix tears have healing powers."

Fawkes flies over to Buffy and again tears trickle down Fawkes face in to Buffy's open mouth.

Buffy gasps sitting straight up. Willow smiles and hugs Buffy. Buffy looks around confused, "Am I in Hell?"

Harry blinks, "Hell? You're in the Chamber." He marches over to Buffy and hugs her. Buffy barely registers that he is holding her.


	13. Chapter 13: End of the Journey

**Chapter 13: End of the Journey**

Harry, Buffy and Ron, covered in muck and slime - stand in Dumbledore's office. Fawkes perches on a pedestal behind Dumbledore, who sits at his desk, examining the charred diary. He looks up, regarding Harry, Buffy and Ron gravely. "Ingenious. Simply... ingenious. Of course, Tom Riddle was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen. I taught him myself fifty years ago. After he left, I would occasionally hear stories of his activities – dark rumors - but after a while, even the rumors stopped. When he finally resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, most people had completely forgotten the clever Head Boy he'd once been."

Ginny nods, "I didn't know whose diary it was, sir. I swear. I found it inside my day we all went to Diagon Alley." Hearing this, Buffy frowns in thought, recollecting... "But I understand if... given all the trouble I've caused... if you!—"

Willow sighs, "What I've caused, Ginny. If not for me you would never have gotten the diary in the first place."

Dumbledore shakes his head, "Wiser wizards than you have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort, Miss Weasley. No, I think you've endured enough, you both have. I would suggest a bit of bed rest, however. And perhaps a large mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up. Minerva, will you show Arthur and Molly up to the hospital wing?"

McGonagall nods, "Certainly, Albus."

As McGonagall, Willow, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs Weasley exit, Harry, Buffy, and Ron watch them go. Mrs. Weasley's voice carries, "A diary that writes back to you! Honestly, Ginny! What were you thinking? Haven't I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't

see where it keeps its brain! And you Willow, really getting possessed. I thought we taught you to guard your mind better than that."

Harry, Buffy and Ron turn back. See Dumbledore regarding them gravely. "You three realize, of course, that in the last few hours, you have broken perhaps a dozen school rules?"

Harry, Buffy and Ron talk at the same time, "Yes, sir."

Dumbledore nods, "And that there is sufficient evidence to expel all three of you?

Harry, Buffy and Ron talk at the same time again, "Yes, sir."

Dumbledore smiles, "Therefore, it seems only fitting… That all three of you receive Special

Awards for Services to the School. And - let me see - yes, I think one hundred and thirty three points apiece, which, I believe, should be more than enough to secure Gryffindor the House Cup."

Harry, Buffy and Ron talk at the same time again, "Thank you, sir."

Dumbledore nods as he hands an envelope to Ron, "Now, Mr. Weasley, if you would, have an owl deliver these release papers to Azkaban. We need our gamekeeper back."

Ron nods, takes the envelope and exits.

Dumbledore turns to Harry and Buffy, "First, Harry… Buffy, I want to thank you both. You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called

Fawkes to you. Secondly, I sense you're both troubled by something. Am I right?

Harry nods, "It's just, you see, sir, We couldn't help noticing certain things. Certain similarities.

Between Tom Riddle and us."

Dumbledore nods, "You both can speak Parseltongue, Harry, because Lord Voldemort can speak

Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transformed some of his own powers to the both of you the night he gave you those scars."

Harry looked to Buffy who was just as surprised as he was, "Voldemort put a bit of himself in

us?"

Dumbledore sighs, "Not intentionally, but... yes."

Harry nods, "So the Sorting Hat was right. We should be a Slytherin."

Dumbledore shakes his head, "It's true, Harry. You both do possess many of the qualities Voldemort himself prizes. Resourcefulness. Determination. A certain disregard for the rules. Yet the Sorting Hat placed you both in Gryffindor, why?

Harry looked at Buffy who nodded as they spoke together, "Because we asked it to."

Dumbledore smiles, "Exactly. Which makes you both very different from Voldemort. It's not our abilities that show what we truly are, Harry. It's our choices. If you want proof that you belong

in Gryffindor, Harry, I suggest you look more closely at this."

Dumbledore hands the bloodstained sword to Harry. An engraved name glimmers above the ruby-encrusted hilt.

Harry looks at the sword and then shows it to Buffy, "'Godric Gryffindor.'"

Dumbledore nods, "Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the Hat."

Suddenly, Lucius Malfoy enters, dragging... Dobby by the ear.

Buffy blinks, "Dobby! This is your Master? The family you serve is the Malfoys!"

Dobby nods, chagrined. Lucius Malfoy brushes past Harry and Buffy, "Out of my way, Potters.

So! You've returned!"

Dumbledore nods, "Yes. When the governors heard that Arthur Weasley's daughters had been taken into the Chamber, they saw fit to summon me back. Curiously, several of them seemed

under the impression that you would curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the

first place, Lucius."

Lucious Malfoy frowned, "From the beginning, my only concern has been the welfare of this school and its students. I assume the culprit has been identified."

Dumbledore nods as he looks at Buffy and Harry, "Oh yes. It was Voldemort. Only this time, he chose to act through someone else. By means of... this."

As Dumbledore nudges the diary toward Lucius Malfoy, Harry sees Dobby nod meaningfully from the diary to Lucius. "Fortunately, our young Mr. Potter discovered it. One only hopes that no more of Lord Voldemort's old school things find their way into innocent hands. The consequences for the one responsible could be... severe."

Lucius Malfoy stares icily at Dumbledore, then turns away. "Come, Dobby. We're leaving."

As Dobby scuttles toward the door, Lucius Malfoy kicks him through it, then exits himself.

Harry stares at the empty doorway as Dobby's painful squeals echo from the corridor. "Sir? I wonder if I could have that?"

Dumbledore looks up, follows Harry's eyes to the diary. He nods and hands Harry the diary. Harry runs out of the room following Malfoy.

Dumbledore looks to Buffy, "You're troubled by something, Buffy."

Buffy nods, "Just before Fawkes healed me, I think I was in Heaven."

Dumbledore nods, "And that knowledge is taking its toll on you, To be wrenched out even though Fawkes thought he was doing the right thing… You feel it has changed you."

Buffy nods, "Yes, Professor."

Dumbledore sighs, "You remember what I said when I found you in the corridor."

Buffy nods.

Dumbledore nods, "Then I will go one step further and remind you of what you said to Dawn last year. The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. If you want I can obliviate the memory of Heaven."

Buffy shakes her head, "As much as the memory makes me sad. I need to learn to go on. I was right when I sad that to Dawn last year. The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. But I need to do just that."

A few days later at the end of term feast. Fear and suspicion banished, the House tables abuzz with excitement and anticipation... all except the Slytherins, who do not share the general feeling.

Seated at the tables, are the formerly petrified, revived students. Justin Finch-Fletchley joins his fellow Hufflepuffs. Colin Creevey snaps photos of the proceedings.

At the rear of the hall, standing near the entrance, Filch is reunited with Mrs. Norris. Then... Hermione and Dawn enters, searching the room for Harry, Buffy, Willow and Ron. Finally, they see them. They smile as Hermione runs forward and embraces Harry. Dawn runs for and embraces Buffy.

Hermione smiles, "You solved it! You solved it!"

Harry nods, "With loads of help from you."

Dawn looks at Buffy and sees the distant look in her eyes, "You ok?"

Buffy nods, "I will be, now that you're here."

Hermione and Dawn switches and Hermione hugs Buffy while Dawn hugs Harry. Dawn then hugs Willow and Ron. Hermione hugs Willow and then turns to Ron and starts to hug him before they pause, an awkward moment between them and... shake hands instead.

Ron smiles, "Welcome back, Hermione, Dawn."

McGonagall taps her goblet. Dumbledore stands. "Before we begin our feast, let's give a round of applause to Professor Sprout and Madame Pomfrey, whose Mandrake Juice has been successfully administered to all those who had been petrified." Everyone applauds. "Also, in the wake of recent events, as a school treat, all exams have been cancelled."

Everyone cheers, save for Hermione. "Oh, no!"

Dawn shakes her head, "It's alright, Hermione. We did miss some of the lectures after all."

At the rear of the Hall, the great doors open as Hagrid enters. He stops, looking around as the room falls silent. All eyes upon him. He glances around. Nervous. Embarrassed. "Sorry I'm late. The owl deliverin' my release papers got all lost 'n confused. Some ruddy bird named Errol."

Ron exchanges a nervous glance with Dumbledore. Hagrid looks at all of the faces staring at him. He turns to Harry. "I jus' want to say... that if it

wasn't fer' you, Harry... you an' Ron... and Hermione... an' Buffy… and Dawn… and finally Willow. Well, I jus' want to say... Thanks.

Buffy smiles and nods, "There's no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid."

Just then... Dumbledore gets to his feet and... slowly... brings his hands together. The others join him. Soon, everyone is on their feet and the Hall roaring. As the students surround Hagrid, he blinks, wipes at his eyes, and...

The next day, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Buffy, Ron, Hermione, Dawn, and Willow got a compartment to themselves. They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Harry and Buffy were getting very good at it.

They were almost at King's Cross when Harry remembered something. He led the group in to the next compartment where Fred, George, and Ginny were. "Ginny – what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"

"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well — Percy's got a girlfriend."

Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head. "What?"

"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny. "That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was — you know — attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" she added anxiously.

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early.

"Definitely not," said George, sniggering.

The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped. They returned to their compartment, "Hermione you will write won't you? And of course I expect Ron and Willow to walk over to the house from the Burrow every once in a while."

Ron, Willow and Hermione nodded.

Hermione nods, "Your Aunt will be proud of what you accomplished this year, won't she?"

Harry looks at Buffy. Her eyes still have that vacant look to them. Harry turns to look at Hermione, "Yes she will be proud. Though between the five of us, let's not go tell her about what happened to Buffy."

They all nodded as they looked at Buffy feeling a little sorry for her, wondering what was going on in Buffy's head. And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Well that ends the second story. After Ajjr12's mention of Once More With Feeling. I've been looking at adding it. Hence Buffy's death. I did some research on Near Death Experiences. And one common theme is people seem to believe they are in Heaven before their pulled out. I intend to have that Chapter of Potter Twins 3 towards the beginning of the story somewhere. Not sure if it will be before they head to Hogwarts or after. But it will be towards the beginning that much is for sure.

Also there is a poll up for the undecided pairings. I need to decide who is paired to whom. Primarily the femslashe for Willow. So I can have whoever Willow is paired with sing it to Willow in the Once More With Feeling Chapter.


End file.
